


Where we hide our Weres

by FamousSmuggler



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, Alternate Universe - Underswap, Blood, Brotherly Love, Coercion, FellWolves AU, Feral Behavior, Hurt/Comfort, Monster Dust (Undertale), Possession, Randomly graphic depictions of violence, Shenanigans, Underfell Papyrus (Wolf), Underfell Sans (Wolf), Violence, implied depression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-08-09 08:41:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 43,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7795054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FamousSmuggler/pseuds/FamousSmuggler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After adopting the skeleton-wolf Red, the Swap brothers meet at a disagreement on how to care for the wolf, who's keeps running back to the forest that almost killed him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You're not feral are you?

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I really wasn't sure about posting this but I figured I might as well get it out there. So first fanfiction, woooo. Fellwolf designs are based off [Sanspar](http://sanspar.tumblr.com/)'s art, check them out they're super awesome :D Um...I'm taking some artistic liberties with this, so hopefully that doesn't bite me in the bum..
> 
> Well, enjoy? :D

The force behind the slamming door shook snow from the roof and resonated sharply throughout the normally quiet two-story home. Inside the two brothers stood at opposite ends, glaring deeply at each other as they stood their respective grounds.

“I said no, Sans. End of discussion.” The taller, hoodie clad brother sighed. He was trying to keep his voice leveled but the smaller skeleton was proving that to be difficult.

“But why not!? That other wolf obviously means something to Red! We have to get him!” Sans cried out in frustration. His hands tightened into fists thinking about their pet wolf, Red, limping back into town with cuts and cracked bones. This wasn't the first time, in fact this was the fourth and something just told Sans it wasn't going to stop.

His brother let out another sigh, slipping a hand into his hoodie pocket and rummaging through the trash for a spare honey packet. His nerves cried out for a cigarette but he promised Sans he wouldn't smoke in the house anymore.

But stars did he want one. Sure, he knew Sans was naive but this? This was just plain crazy.

“That other one is probably feral by now bro.”

“But Papy-” Sans tried to interrupt but in a surprising show of seriousness, Papyrus dropped his voice to a firm tone.

“Look, I know it's hard but I'm not letting you go out there to be a chew toy. So get it outta your head.” Papyrus had to turn away before he finished. The sad, defeated look on Sans’ face didn't belong there but he had to be firm. He couldn't see his precious baby brother dusted over anything, especially something like this.

The brothers stood there in silent awkwardness for what felt like years before a soft sniffle echoed out. Sans turned away and headed for the stairs, a barely audible “goodnight” whispering from him before his bedroom door opened and closed. As if sensing the commotion cease, the front door slowly creaked open.

“I-is now a bad time?” the meek voice of the royal scientist pulled the tall skeletons attention enough for him to usher her inside. He knew she didn't like the cold too much.

“Yeah sorry ‘bout Undyne, it's all good now though.” he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. The look on Sans’ face tried to push its way back into his mind but he promptly pushed it right back out. “How's Red?”

Undyne wrung her hands together and sighed.

“He's s-stable now, but Papyrus…” Okay, to hell with not smoking in the house he couldn't take it. Papyrus took a single long drag from the stick, letting the smoke gather under his hoodie before pushing it out his mouth and nose. He almost forgot the fish monster was standing in front of him until she spoke again “I agree with Sans.”

That was not what he was expecting to hear from her. When the tall skeleton didn't respond, Undyne plead her piece. They had gotten Red only two months ago and within those two months he had ran away four times and gotten injured every time. This time was just the worst. Even while she patched the small wolf up, Undyne could tell he was still just trying to get to something, or someone.

“Maybe I could talk to Alphys? I-I’m sure she would be willing to help.” Papyrus gave a half hearted chuckle. His tired gaze looking but not looking at the scientist before taking another long drag of cigarette.

“Hey Undyne...what did the wolf say to the skeleton?”

“Um..”

“Nice gnawing you.” Undyne shifted at the slightly morbid joke but otherwise didn't say anything “Look, I get it, I really do but you and Alphys...you weren't there. You guys didn't see what it looked like.”

Papyrus’ vision flashed black. He was no longer in the comfort of his home. The heavy winds billowed against him, whipping the dense snowfall around the environment. The pine trees just kept going for miles no matter where he looked.

Then he saw it.

Abyss black fur with tints of blood red. And it was huge, stars was the thing so fucking huge. Despite the darkness of the world, the gray flaking dust all over its paws and face seemed to shine almost as bright as its glowing red eyes but there cradled in its dust covered paws laid a small figure that was dripping red magic from its face.

“Papyrus?”

Suddenly hearing his name, the tall skeleton visibly flinched. Undyne still stood in front of him and that worried look only seemed to have gotten worse. Papyrus raised his cigarette back to his teeth and kept it there, the cherry dead.

“Well, I think I'm going to go to Muffet’s.” The fish monster nodded her head, stating she should be heading back before it got too terribly late. Papyrus opened the door for her and even walked her to the edge of town before where the fog rolled in.

Undyne gave her friend a small wave before venturing off into the fog. Papyrus waited until her silhouette disappeared before teleporting to the town bar with a soft “blip”.

~~~~

Sans poked his head out of his door after the voices of his brother and Undyne died down just in time to see both bodies retreat out the door. Sans was at a loss as to what he should do. Papyrus never asked much of him so the rare times he didn't listen to something that he requested the smaller skeleton to do, or not do in this case, were usually met with guilt ridden confessions later on.

But then what about Red?

They might have only had the small wolf for two months, but Sans had already grown attached. Sans hadn't spent a lot of time with Red outside of feeding or comforting him after getting hurt but even those times were heartwarming and enjoyable.

Speaking of which...where was Red?

The blue clad skeleton ventured down the stairs and glanced around the shared living room. No sign of Red there. Undyne must have left him in the shed to rest.

“I should bring him extra blankets since be has to sleep on the floor.” Sans hummed out loud. Grabbing a few extra blankets and a small throw pillow before heading out to the shed. The wind had definitely picked up since he and Papyrus had come in after Sans had suggesting looking for the other wolf. It made him happy that he decided to give Red the extras.

Being as quiet as he could, Sans opened the unlocked door to the shed and inched in. A light growl echoed into the air and the small skeleton had to hid his face in the pillows to keep his giggles from coming out.

Red must have been dreaming.

Sans reached over to flick a small light on so he could see better but the silhouette near the makeshift bedding set up for Red made him freeze. It was big, really big and despite the dark Sans could make out the vague outline of its body. It was leaning back against the wall across with an arm extended out holding back a yapping Red. Sans couldn't believe it.

It was the other wolf.

And it hadn't noticed him yet. Sans was in awe. He had been right, naturally. The other wolf meant something to Red AND it wasn't feral! They could keep it here so Red wouldn't get hurt trying to get back to it anymore. Everything suddenly was looking up and Sans couldn't help but let out an excited squeak.

Both wolves jumped at the sounds and before Sans could realize his mistake the larger wolf lunged. His massive paw pressed down on the smaller monster's chest, digits flexing against the armor of his battle body. Sans could feel the armor giving way under the pressure. Bubbles of fear welled up in his chest as the snarling face of the skeletal wolf seemed to inch closer and closer to his throat.

“E-e-easy d-doggy!” Sans whimpered. He wished he could put on a brave face. He was a royal guard in training, surely he would be facing things more threatening than this wolf. This massive, snarling wolf that was going to crush him. Thankfully some of the weight was lifted at his words. The wolf seemed to recoil at being called “doggy” and even his snarls were turned into a sharp sneer that almost screamed “I am no lowly dog!”

Red whined loudly at the larger wolf’s actions. Though he pushed up on the other wolf’s shoulders, Sans could see his tail twitching between his legs. For a moment the two just stared at each other, neither moving or making a sound. The small skeleton watched the exchange and even without words Sans could tell they meant at least something toward each other. So, when the larger removed his paw completely and started for the door Sans tried to reason with it.

He called out as confidently as he could, “Wait! You don’t have to go.” The statement made the other pause and look over his shoulder “You can stay here, with Red and I. And Papy! It would take him sometime but I’m sure he would welcome you.” Red eyes gleamed passed Sans and the skeleton knew the alpha was looking at Red who was whining at his side.

Sans tried to welcome the wolf with open arms and a wide smile. Instead, those red eyes narrowed and a warning gruff sounded out before the shed was blasted with wind and snow. Red cried out but didn’t follow. The other was gone.

Out of the corner of his socket Sans could see Red shrink down to the floor in a whimpering heap. A new surge of determination fill up in Sans’ soul at the sight of his friend hurting. Arranging the pillows and blankets as under the wolf as he could get, Sans pressed his teeth to Red’s forehead in a skeleton kiss.

“Don’t worry Red, we’ll get him to stay. One way or another.” The little wolf perked up a little at the words before yawning. Sans gave him another affectionate pat then headed for the door. He was going to find some way of getting the other wolf to stay with them, or he wasn’t the Magnificent Sansentional Sans.

And he most certainly was.


	2. Cooking Up Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans devises a new plan to draw out the other wolf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I'm a little embarrassed to say I was stricken with writer's block shortly after uploading the first chapter >_

Sans plopped down on the couch in Undyne's lab with an exasperated sigh. He was all for a challenge but it had been a week since the incident in the shed and still no sign of the other wolf. He was a bit embarrassed to admit that he had asked for Undyne’s help after merely two days of no sightings but with Papyrus’ reverence toward the wolf he needed someone’s support, and Undyne was probably his best friend.

"C-cheer up Sans,” Undyne said with a soft but sad smile "I'm sure you'll find it.” The fish monster handed Sans a steamy cup of tea and sat beside him. Undyne struck up idle conversation to try and get Sans’ attention off his unsuccessful attempts, but as she noticed the contemplative gaze in his flickering, blue pupils she sighed and wrung her hands.

They sat in silence for a moment then Undyne spoke up, "You could always take food? See if that draws the wolf out.” Silence filled the room once more and Undyne began to worry that her suggestion was stupid or childish. When the smaller skeleton’s frame began to tremor, the fish monster reached a hesitant hand over to ensure her friend was okay.

“MWEH HEH HEH! THAT'S PERFECT!” Sans suddenly exclaimed, jumping up from the couch with a small victory gesture. Undyne let out an undignified shriek at the explosive proclamation, her blue scales tinted a deep pink in embarrassment. Sans didn’t notice. The excitement coursing through his bones made them rattle loudly.

Undyne sputtered for Sans to calm down that it was a simple suggestion and not some master plan but still he seemed to ignore her. His small but excited frame bouncing around as he thought of the other wolf enjoying his artisan tacos or maybe even a new recipe he and Alphys could cook up.

“Sans, w-wait you should really-”

The hyper skeleton interrupted her, “Thank you, thank you Undyne! This is going to be perfect, mweh heh!” Boney arms collapsed tightly around her frame in a quick goodbye hug but still Undyne tried to get Sans to stop and think for a moment. He all but sprinted to her door, slamming a gloved hand into the red control button.

With his attention set behind him but his body still surging forward, Sans collided with something soft but oddly solid as he barreled through the door. His hands flung to his throbbing nasal cavity, reeling back from impact.

“Ow..oh! Hi, Papy!” The smaller skeleton beamed up after a small little fit “What are you doing here?” Papyrus smiled down but Sans could tell something was off. His brother always looked tired but today he seemed even more so. His lazy grin was came off as more of a smirk and there was a vacancy in his eyes that was almost unsettling.

“Hey there, Speedy Bonezalez, I didn’t crash the party did I?” Papyrus asked with a raised eye ridge. Sans’ eyes widened comically for a moment before he sputtered in distaste at his brother’s word play. The little skeleton couldn’t help the soft blue that tinted over his cheeks when Papyrus’ bony hand gently pat the top of his skull before retreating back into his hoodie pocket. “And I actually need to borrow Undyne for a bit. I got some science stuff that I’m too much of a numbskull to figure out.”

Undyne walked up from her slightly secluded spot, hands clasped tightly together in that nervous habit of hers. Sans shot a pleading look toward the royal scientist but the meek smile on her face gave away nothing except her natural nerves eating at her. Feeling his secret activities were safe, Sans hugged his brother then headed off back to their shared home.

Papyrus waited a good minute, just staring out the lab door as Sans ran out, before he sighed and closed it. Sans didn’t think he would notice but the lazy skeleton was practically hyper vigilant when it came to that hyper little blueberry. Papyrus noticed his patrols getting longer. Noticed him coming home a little bit later each night, even if it was only by a couple minutes. Papyrus noticed. Sans would sometimes use the excuse that he was getting supplies for Red, but then he would come back empty handed and claim they didn’t have what he was looking for. His little brother wasn’t a good liar on his best days and these lies were no different.

Papyrus was beginning to really worry.

“Um, w-was there something I c-could do for you Papyrus?” Undyne stuttered, shifting uncomfortably for probably for tenth time now.

The skeleton rubbed the back of his skull “Yeah, I need you do get me a favor with Alphys.” Though the statement started off with Papyrus’ normal tone, Undyne noticed the quick almost rough change in his words. His expression hardened a bit more as he continued “Sans has reported sightings in the Snowdin forests and I’m worried there might be ferals moving in on the town. I want you to talk Alphys into sending a scouting party through there to make sure it’s safe.” Undyne bristled at the request and both monsters could feel the raise of tension in the lab.

“That’s a pretty b-bold request Papyrus…” She said quietly

Papyrus shrugged, “I’m aware and I am sorry for dragging you into this but I gotta think of my little bro.” That wasn’t a lie. Papyrus really did feel bad for dragging Undyne into this but Sans was his primary, if not his only concern.

“I-it’s okay, I want everyone to be safe too.” Guilt hit the tall skeleton for a moment as Undyne face sunk “I’ll talk to Alphys before the night’s over.” The lack of stutters told Papyrus that the royal scientist had nothing more to say to him. A bony hand landed on her shoulder as she turned away but when the two locked gazes the skeleton’s words died on his nonexistent tongue. Undyne looked so defeated but Papyrus couldn’t bring himself to comfort her. For the first time in a long time, the lazy skeleton was actually worried about what was going to happen.

~~~~

Sans tried not to think about how his brother looked on his way home. If the sentry didn’t know any better he would think that Papyrus knew what he had been up to this past week. The thought was immediately dismissed however. Sans was too careful to be spotted by his lazybones brother. Of course there were a few slip ups the first couple of days but now he had it down pat, if he did say so himself.

“Hi Red!” He greeted the small wolf lounging on the couch. Red’s tail thumped happily against the cushions. His wounds had healed nicely with the help of Sans’ careful eye, which only meant he would be back out chasing after that other wolf again soon. Just to get hurt...again.  
Unless Sans could find it first.

He had overheard things. Reports from the guardsmen during he and Alphys’ training sessions. There were sightings all over of “large monsters” lurking near the towns and villages but Sans could never hear quite enough to know if the wolf was one of said monsters. That was just another reason why he had to keep trying to draw it out.

“What do you think Red? Tacos or something new?” The wolf limped over to him and cocked his head to the side. Poking his nose hole inside the fridge, Red tapped the mustard bottle a few times to try and convey what he wanted

“Really, Red? You’ve been hanging around Papy too much. Picking up his weird condiment addictions.” Blue chided playfully but still pouring a hearty amount of mustard into a bowl for the wolf “I actually meant for the other one, the wolf you keep trying to find.” Red was mid lick as Sans finished, his face suddenly crestfallen. His soft whimpers panged at the skeleton’s soul but still kept his determined face. Sans gave the wolf a handful of affectionate pats to remind him of the promise his friend had made. To further reassure the wolf, Sans spoke of the new plan that Undyne had inspired and Red’s previous mood seemed to vanish almost completely. The two began to piece the plan together. Sans following Red by using his yips and whines as indicators of what was good and bad worked better than he could have ever hoped or dreamed, and by the time Papyrus walked into the home, they were already finished and carrying on as if the plan never existed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm not terribly happy with this chapter but I feel as meh as it is, its one of those necessary rickety bridges. Hopefully it's not as bad as keep thinking it is ^^;
> 
> As always thank you so much for taking the time to read this :3 I'm always looking to improve so please tell me if you notice mistakes or something you feel I can improve on.


	3. To Bear The Coup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are set into motion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay actual plot! This chapter was a lot of fun to write and is a bit longer as well than the other two. Hopefully y'all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it :3

Sans had the hardest time containing his excitement the next morning. As he prepared extra tacos he couldn’t help but thank the stars for how his day had aligned for his plan. Alphys had sent him a message shortly after his alarm went off saying he had the day off, something important had sprung up at the Capitol and she and the guard were needed there. At first, the small skeleton argued that he could possibly be of help only to switch it to the added need of the sentries with all the guards occupied; however, when he stopped and thought about how excellent a free day was he quickly agreed to a day off.

 

“Mweh heh, this is going to be foolproof!” He whispered excitedly

 

“Then you sure you wanna mess with it, bro?” A voice drawled out playfully. The sudden addition made Sans jump and squeak a little, turning to see his brother.

 

“Papy! That was mean!” Papyrus gave a soft smile, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. Blue eyes glared at blank, tired looking sockets. Sans noticed he looked even worse than the day before but opted not to comment. 

 

“C’mon bro, you know you’re great.” Papyrus offered in exchange before eyeing the tacos “You...made more than normal. Giving them out to people?” The blush that appeared on Sans’ face at the compliment immediately disappeared at his observation. He was thankful that a lie was practically provided for him though.

 

“Uh, yea! I wanted to give some to Undyne since she’s been so helpful with Red.”  Even though Papyrus practically gift wrapped the lie for him, Sans still felt horrible for going along with it. What was even worse was Papyrus have him such a hurt, half-lidded look afterwards. But the sentry swallowed the guilt. He knew what his brother would do if he knew what Sans was planning. So to avoid further guilt, Sans simply returned to his preparations for breakfast and avoided the lingering gaze of Papyrus. 

 

When Red’s padded feet stumbled down the stairs, Papyrus removed his stinging gaze from Sans’ back to pick the wolf and carry him to the table. His tail thumping excitedly at the sight of food. Sans packaged the extras and set the rest down on the table for everyone to dig in. But while Red stuffed his face, the skeleton brothers poked at their food, lost in their own consuming thoughts. Sans would steal a glance at the blank gaze Papyrus gave the food.

 

The guilt came gnawing back horribly, “Y-you’re up pretty early Papy, are you not hungry?” The time didn’t go unnoticed by Sans. Papyrus was by no means an early bird and the short skeleton had to often make it a habit to quite literally drag him out of bed some mornings. Then there were the times that he had nightmares but Sans really didn’t want to think of those times.

 

Papyrus didn’t answer, just gave a lazy smile then slowly eating a taco. The silence was getting to the smaller skeleton.

 

“Did you have a nightmare? I didn’t hear you. Are you okay?” The larger skeleton’s sockets widened a second but quickly schooled back into the blank, half-lidded gaze they were previously. 

 

“I’m phalanging great bro, just tired. Ya know, lazybones and all.” Papyrus smiled with a wink. Red made a sound that was as close to a giggle as the wolf could get and Sans let his smile widen a little. Papyrus wouldn’t lie to him...right? The two struck up simple conversation about their plans for the day, which lead to even more lies about from the little brother. 

 

Papyrus stretched in his chair getting ready to stand, “I’m gonna catch a quick catnap before work.” his voice almost mumbled out. “Coming Red?” The wolf glanced between the two, snagging the half eaten taco from Sans’ plate and nuzzling the little skeleton in a sign of staying. For the first time since breakfast, Sans saw his brother genuinely smile but the pang in his soul didn’t feel right. The taller monster hugged and clinked kisses to both their heads before disappearing behind the door to his room.

 

And as soon as that skeleton disappeared, Red popped Sans in the head with his paw.

 

“Red, what was that for?!” The smaller spat in shock. The wolf narrowed his sockets, the red eyelights within flickering in a knowing gaze. “Bad wolf! You don’t hit people!” Red gave Sans a look that could only be read as “Watch me.” and bopped him again. The hits didn’t hurt, not really, they were just out of character. Like Red wanted to call him out for doing something stupid. Not to mention it was rude. The staring contest that ensued lead both monsters nowhere until Sans conceded and Red gave him a soft whine. With his ears laid down in a sad gesture, he flicked his head toward the door where Papyrus hid then back to Sans with another whine.

 

Sans sighed, “Yeah, I don’t like lying either Red.” The dishes were gathered up to be washed as Sans vented to Red who sat contently at his feet “He just...he treats me like I’m still a baby bones! I'm a royal guard in training but he acts like I can't take care of myself...like I'm just his cute, baby bones brother.” Sans never thought about things like this, the way others perceived him. There was never a need because everyone was always so nice to him, but thinking back to Papyrus’ reaction to him doing something the older deemed “dangerous” Sans couldn't help but feel like maybe others simply thought him harmless and dependant. Sure he was reliable and he was in training but how long had he been in training now?

 

The doubts crawling up his back were suffocating.  He wanted to prove them wrong, no, he  _ needed  _ to prove them wrong. He needed to prove to everyone he didn't have to have the world hidden and sugar coated for him, that he could stand up for himself even when his brother wasn't around! 

 

Red whined, pulling him back to reality for a moment. The wolf was on his hind legs, head cocked to the side as he stared at the shorter skeleton with interest. Sans hadn't realized he was mumbling to himself until he felt the bonk of bone meeting bone. After bringing Sans out of his mental tirade, Red clamped the container of tacos between his two paws in a silent suggestion to Sans.

 

They still had a plan to do after all.

 

“Oh, stars! I'm sorry Red. I don't know what came over me.” he smiled, a tad bit embarrassed by his little falter “C’mon, we have another wolf to impress!” Red yipped excitedly and rushed toward the door as fast as his still injured body would allow him. Sans slid on the gloves to his battle body before following suit. The skeleton smiled at the wolf knowing he was excited about possibly seeing the other wolf again, which added a new thought to Sans’ mind.

 

“We’re gonna have to think of a name for him!”

 

**~~~~**

 

Papyrus had retreated to his room with the full intention of getting a little more sleep before meeting up with Alphys for their meeting, he really had but as soon as his sockets drifted closed and his world darkened, everything would change. 

 

_ Snow and dusted muddled together with fresh, bright blood forming a sludge before his feet. Blue flashed before his eyes, a small figure standing it's ground against a behemoth. His voice cried out for the figure to run, to get somewhere safe but instead it would open its arms wide to the beast, the large permanent grin only growing in confidence that kindness would win over all. Papyrus screamed until his nonexistent throat was raw, pulling at what little magic he had to try and teleporting to his brother’s side to get him away. He was so small next to that thing, so fragile against that monster. _

 

_ He was so close now, just a few steps away. A long arm is would reach out, stretched as far as it could go. Boney fingers clamped around that signature bandana only to be ripped from the neck of its host as Sasn’ body was pelted to the side with one vicious swipe. A piercing cry would shatter the taller skeleton’s mind as he rushed to his brother’s side, only to cling onto dust. _

 

Papyrus lunged up, his left eye igniting with orange magic as his body pushed into a panic. That was the third time he had seen that exact scene since he had returned to his room, but the extended version had visited him far more times since Sans had taken such a keen interest in that other wolf.

 

Papyrus sighed, Alphys would be expecting him soon. She was none too pleased by the phone call she had received from Undyne and was sure to give Papyrus a metaphorical earful. The tall skeleton rose slowly from his bed. An unlit cigarette hanging from his teeth, the blip of his magic popped loudly as his body vanished.

 

“Where is he, Alphys!?” A guard grumbled loudly

 

“We woke up early for this ‘meeting’! The least he could do is show up on time!” another yelled. The whisp of air was the only warning any of the guards got before the massive axe embedded itself into a nearby boulder, splitting it asunder in a show of force.

 

“Last time I checked,” a snarling voice murmured lowly “I had GUARDSMEN!” The owner of the voice stepped out from the shadows, dark armor decorating the majority of her body excluding her spiked head that was raised high above the rest of the cowering guards. She turned to the first guard that complained, a bunny who had curled into himself after the battleaxe barely missed his right ear.

 

“And last I checked...that’s CAPTAIN Alphys!” The tone of her voice was accompanied by the crackle of magic, but the twitching of her undamaged eye told all the guardsmen it wasn’t her own. The platoon turned toward the cave entrance to see a figure slowly forming. The lizard captain scoffed, retrieving her weapon and staring angrily at the late comer.

 

“It’s about damn time, maggot.” Alphys grumbled at the skeleton who just smiled and puffed on his cigarette. Alphys was happy he kept a respectable distance from everyone, not all monsters enjoyed those things like he did. “So explain to me again why you needed my ENTIRE guard force to hunt down one feral?”

 

Papyrus took another drag of his smoke, only this time holding the smoke in until he spoke “I never said it was just one.” Alphys narrowed her one eye. The skeleton didn’t want to be suspicious but Undyne had tried to convince him, albeit poorly, to go after the other wolf and Sans had spent more time with her after his extra long patrols that the smaller skeleton didn’t think his brother noticed. Things were adding up and he didn’t like the sum.

 

“Well regardless of how many there are, why didn’t Sans just come to me?” As much as that would normally be a good question. Papyrus knew the answer already, ‘Because my bro thinks he can befriend every monster in this damn underground.’ 

 

Instead of answering, Papyrus only shrugged and continued smoking. He knew it would piss off Alphys but he had another reason for calling this search. 

 

He needed proof.

 

When the lizard realized that Papyrus was not going to elaborate any further she groaned loudly but began to assemble her guards. Since they didn’t know quite how many were out there, Alphys felt it best to keep the groups large. The natural synergy of the canines was hard to beat and if the captain was honest she didn’t really have the heart to split 01 and 02, so the groups were easily decided with Papyrus joining herself, the bunny guard Bombi, 01, and 02. 

 

Alphys pulled Papyrus back while the others marched forward. With a stern glance she spoke firmly at the skeleton to make it very clear she was not going to deal with any added bullshit. “This better not be a waste of time, Papyrus.” The look the normally horrified monsters into submission only made the lazy skeleton smirk.

 

“For our sake, I hope it is.”

 

**~~~~**

 

Red had taken over the search as soon as they entered thicker treelines, out of the sight of curious onlookers. Sans had been yammering nonstop about names for the wolf and drawn the unwanted eyes of a few early roamers. Nothing incriminating by itself, but enough that the small wolf’s nerves were now on end that they were being followed. Normally dull eyes were bright with magic as Red scanned over the trees. Shadows would trick him, exciting him only for a frightened monster to scurry away from them. An echoing crack forced his ears to attention. The cracks in his femurs had mostly healed and while the sprain to his ankles seemed to still be giving him problems, Red couldn’t help but pick up his pace a bit.

 

“Wait, Red, don’t hurt yourself.” Sans said with a huff when Red stumbled into an uneasy trot. A thick fog of tension began to engulf the pair the deeper they ran into the forest. Blue eyelights scanned the perimeter for threats. Nothing seemed terribly different, Sans noticed. The area was darker and there were patches of snow that were a bit of a different texture. Red stopped at one particularly large mound and Sans felt a dark sense of curiosity well up in his ribcage.

 

“Oh...oh no…” Sans gasped out, kneeling down with a gloved hand full of the not snow. The powder rested against his glove, sticking each time he tried to wipe it clean.

 

Dust. All the mounds were dust.

 

Sans knew they needed to leave. Whether this was the other wolf or not, nothing about this was even remotely safe now. “Red. Red, c’mon we need to...RED!” The blue clad skeleton turned in a panic at the low growls of the wolf. Before Red stood...something. It wasn’t the other wolf. This monster was bulkier with a full frame unlike the skeletal wolf. Red snapped his jaws at the looming beast but Sans saw how he trembled.

 

“Hu...n..grrrrrr...y…” it moaned out. Sans looked at his care package of tacos but his body no longer obeyed him. His starry blue eyes were now pinpricks edged in fear of the half crazed monster before him. The bear took a step forward and Red took one back, still trying to growl and keep up his facade of dominance. With more light on the bear, Sans had to hold in a gasp of terror. Its face was marred completely on one side and massive paws were void of any fur, leaving behind horribly irritated, scaly skin.

 

There were no words, no warnings. The beast simply lunged at them. Drool laden jaws set wide to trap them in their clutches before grinding their bones to dust. Sans let out a shriek, dodging at the last second.

 

“RUN RED!” He ordered, scrambling to his feet and running even deeper into the woods, the monster blocking the way home. The loud whimpers echoed harshly against his skull as Red forced himself into an all out sprint. This was Sans’ fault. How could he have put Red in this situation? The bear barrelled through a withered tree with shattering force, the exploding debris pelting the fleeing duo with barbaric intensity. Sans felt a coiling around his ankle and time slowed. The distorted whimpers of Red and the feral snarling of the bear monster hammered into his skull as it was filled with the snow and dust mixture. The small skeleton turned, summoning bones in one last effort to keep the feral from him while Red dug claws and fangs into the vine that had knotted around his ankle.

 

The large femur bones cracked, so he summoned another set and when those cracked, another. Red whimpered around the vines and Sans reached a free hand down to try and help remove the thorns from the leather of his boot. With even less effort than before the bear smashed through the bone walls, hunched over low with nothing but a snarl and vacant gaze in his eyes. With a strong tug the worn down vine relinquished its hold but all Sans could do was scoot backwards helplessly. Sockets grew dark, the bear rose on his hind legs with a paw raised high over its head.

 

And then the paw began to fall.

 

Sans thought of his brother, how he wouldn’t see him again. Of Alphys and Undyne and even Queen Toriel. He thought of his dream of being in the royal guard and how even with that hard work and determination, he was still too scared to act against something so purely...monstrous.

 

He didn’t want it to end. There were too many things he still wanted to do! 

  
Magic infused tears blurred most of his vision as Sans cried out for help and thrusted his hand forward in one last ditch effort to halt the bear’s descending paw, but the bones did nothing. Sockets screwed shut unable to look at the bone crushing hit to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to really enjoy the flow of the story so chapters might be getting a bit longer than the beginning ^^; Hopefully that's a good thing
> 
> As always, thank you everyone!


	4. Wolf Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plans don't go quite as planned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried something new with how I wrote this chapter, not too sure how I feel about it yet but I had fun writing this so I guess that's the most important thing.

Papyrus struggled to keep his laughs at a minimum as he traveled with the guards. Seeming to think stealth was their strong suit, the clanking of armor as it struggled through deeper snow and the borderline shouting conversation going on in front of him, it truly shocked the skeleton that they could even confuse their methods as stealthy. 

 

“Man, if you guys are stealthy than I’m the Queen.” He chuckled out behind the rabbit guard Bombi, an almost empty honey packet hanging out of the corner of his crooked grin. Much to the taller monster’s dismay, Bombi wasn’t paying attention. Instead, the rabbit peppered out complaints.

 

“It’s too cold.”

 

“It’s too quiet.”

 

“What are we looking for?”

 

It made for a very boring trek and no matter how many puns or jokes he shoveled out, Papyrus couldn’t keep himself distracted from the darker thoughts that began to emerge. He worried about Sans’ determined mission of befriending the feral wolf even more so now that Red was with him. That was sure to drag the wolf out of hiding. Papyrus continued to walk absently until a pair of metal covered fingers snapped in front of his sockets, the horrible scraping of the metal on metal snap effectively derailing his train of thought.

 

“Ya wanna clue us in Stretch?” The guard grumbled. Papyrus cocked his head with furrowed eye ridges, smiling at the realization that the flustered rabbit’s last question was repeated at least five times just to be ignored by the skeleton.

 

Papyrus sucked the last of his honey packet dry and shoved the trash into his hoodie pocket, “Trust me Thumper you’ll know it when you see it.” The taller monster gave a lazy wink as he walked away from Bombi who’s fur now stood upright in irritation. Papyrus had to clamp a hand over his mouth when the rabbit’s foot beat the ground at lightning speeds for a second to express the irritation.

 

“This isn’t funny!” Bombi yelled in embarrassment. Papyrus released the short snort of laughter and pointed at the guards legs.

 

“I didn’t know you guys ACTUALLY did that!” He chortled “Man, you must get into some real ‘harey’ situations because of that.” Bombi’s hands tightened again, his lack of helmet gave Papyrus the perfect view of his magnifying frustration with the skeleton. The rabbit raised his hand as if to hit Papyrus but after a moment reconsidered, following the skeleton’s longer strides with a soft “tsk”. They continued in the disappearing footsteps of the troupe they were once a part of in mostly silence except for the annoyed grumbling of Bombi.

 

“I can’t believe this, you called us out here yet you’re not even gonna tell us what we’re up against? What if it’s something only the Queen can handle?”

 

The skeleton sighed, “It’s not like you would believe me if I told you anyway.”

 

“Try me!”

 

Papyrus took out a cigarette from his pocket, setting it in his teeth but not lighting it quite yet. The flint wheel of his lighter flicked again and again before finally allowing the gas to accumulate enough for the sparks to ignite the fumes. Taking a soft puff from the stick, Papyrus turned back to Bombi who was waiting with surprising patients for at least one serious response from the skeleton. 

 

“Okay, fine.” He huffed out with a cloud of smoke to go with it “We’re looking for a giant, black and red -”

 

**“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”**

 

Immediately weapons were drawn and magic was ignited by the guards. The freshly lit cigarette fell to the floor with a soft sizzle in comparison to the hair splitting scream that echoed so fiercely through the canopy of trees. Alphys ran back to Papyrus and Bombi, shouting orders and demanding answers that neither of the monsters could coherently answer. All nerves were on end. A scaly hand clamped on the pauldron of Bombi’s armor, scaring the rabbit monster into a small hop.

 

“What in the hell was that!?” Alyphs yelled, barely bothering to wait for a proper response “Papyrus! What was that!?”

 

But Papyrus stood stock still his eyes fixated on the vast void of trees. 

Alyphs tried again, “Papyrus!”

 

_ No...Stars please no… _

 

“Papyrus!” And again

 

_ No, that wasn’t..it couldn’t be… _

 

“Damn it! Papyrus!”

 

Alphy gripped the skeleton’s shoulders and shook him lightly. A lanky arm lashed out in panic, hitting her in the jaw enough to cause a sting but no real damage. It took a good moment and a mantra of the skeleton’s name but when reality clicked back into his eyes, Alphys saw nothing but sorrow and dread. In a tone that was so unbelievably soft she would have considered it weak in any other circumstance, Alphys tried to sooth the flaring magic that had began to spark and jump off Papyrus. She asked him simple questions to try and calm him but still his chest rose and fell in frantic breaths.

 

He whispered something too low for her to hear. “Paps, you’re gonna have to speak up.”

 

“That...that scream…” Before he could finish, Papyrus’ magic crackled through the air and his body was gone in an instant. Alphys cursed loudly. Orders were gunned out and the guards dispersed where they thought, and hoped, the scream had come from.

 

Taking a shortcut blind was never a good idea. There was no telling where you would end up when you did not try to pinpoint your location and Papyrus had given his magic a pretty huge map to deal with, the entirety of the Snowdin forest. The scream was too distorted from the echoing to give him an actual direction she in his mind he merely pictured “northish” and hoped for the best. Best had apparently been Papyrus’ body being harshly deposited on a pile of rocks.

 

“Could have been worse, I guess.” Papyrus mumbled to no one in particular. Sockets scanned around for any form of identification but while everything looked the same nothing looked familiar. Loose magic flowed freely through the air creating waves of tension that cascaded across his bones. The magic was fresh and there were impressions that seemed to be footprints of some kind but the snowfall muddled them preventing any further recognition other than they were indeed footprints. Papyrus knew it was a better lead than anything else and with a flick of his wrist he covered his head with his hoodie and followed the trail.

 

**~~~~**

 

The moment Red realized Sans was not moving he lept up at the descending paw, latching his fangs into the bear’s paw with enough force to send the monster reeling back with gargled cries. The paw was pulled off its main course and landed just to the right of Sans. Red gave a pitiful howl at his friend, dodging out of the way of another swipe from the bear who was solely focusing him, but Sans wasn’t moving. His large eyes were black voids and his body trembled as he looked on at the bear. Red cried out before dodging a strike from the massive paw, but a second quickly followed up. Sharp digits clipped into Red's center and launched the small wolf into a nearby tree..

 

“RED!!” Sans cried out. The pitiful whine from the wolf breaking the hold fear had on his mind. Bones encircled Red’s body in a protective cage while blue bones expanded out in a wave to keep the bear at bay. The feral monster paid the blue attacks no mind and continued to stalk closer to Red, crying out each time the bones phased through its body. Sans tried to tell it to stop. Tried to reason that all of this could stop and no more harm would come to the bear but every word was met with a fierce growl. As it pushed through the last wave of blue attacks Sans clenched his fist and allowed magic to engulf it.

 

Thrusting his hand forward an audible ping rang out in the hollowed forest and the feral was forced to the ground.

 

“You-you’re blue now…” Sans struggled out “I’m sorry, but that’s my attack.” The bear struggled against new weight on its soul but even at the slower pace he was too close to Red for comfort and Sans knew the bone cage was not going to protect the wolf if the bear decided to attack it as it had his bone wall before. Summoning another wave of attacks, the royal guard in training launched them toward the scarred side of the bear’s face. Blunted ends connected with sickening cracks and enough force to knock the bear from its feet. 

 

There was little time now. Sans collapsed the bone cage and ran over to Red, scooping the little wolf carefully into his arm as he tried to position him into a better hold for running.

 

A roar boomed out, “RUNTS!” and with a new burst of speed and strength that should have been impossible under the blue hold on its soul the feral lunged off the ground, catching up to the duo in only a few quick strides. Sans rolled to the side. The maneuver jostled Red’s injuries and he cried out sharply, Sans regretted that but knew right now it as a necessary sacrifice. His next dive did not go as planned. Claws sunk into the leather of his boots, sending him off kilter so he landed on his stomach instead of rolling as he had originally planned, worse yet was Red was thrown from his arms. 

 

The feral turned its head between the two of them with uncertainty of who it wished to maul first. Locking eyes with the struggling Red, a massive roar bellowed out and a target was chosen. It weaved in and out of the summoned bones with ease despite the increasing weight on its soul as Sans pumped more magic into his blue attack to try and slow it down. Only a step away it reared up with both paws raised high to smash down on the wolf, a manic grin placed on black lips for just a moment as its prey cowered with no way to flee.

 

Snow exploded up like a lava geyser in the Hotlands and Sans felt his soul sink. Powder fluttered in the air obscuring the scene of proper detail. Sans’ eyelights followed the bear’s muzzle and both monsters shared a sound of confusion.

 

Red was gone but no dust was there to replace him.

 

The bear rose to its full height with its nose tilted to the air, nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air. Sans rose steadily, the beast distracted, and focused on the newly crouched figure behind them.

 

“Boooss…” The bear grumbled loudly. The hold it had on its sentience slipping further into obscurity “Weak...Boss!” The other wolf, Boss as the bear addressed him, held Red tightly in his arms shielding the smaller wolf from any attacks the bear might attempt to throw. Sharp teeth twitched in a scowl, red eyelights scanned over the smaller wolf’s body inspecting the damage the feral monster had done already. Cracks in his ribs, a knocked out fang, and the previous cracks in his bones began to splinter off into worse cracks.

 

Sans smiled wide letting the tears free fall from his eyes. Seeing the wolf protect Red from the flurry of swipes filled his soul with determination, focusing his magic to trip up the bear and keep it from cornering the two.

 

Boss snapped his head in the small skeleton’s direction one eye flared with fiery red magic and mouth pulled back in a dangerous snarl.

 

Gloved hands rose placatingly, “Don’t worry! I’m helping I swear!.”  Boss didn’t seem to agree with Sans’ assistance gruffed out an annoyed huff before jumping away from another swipe from the bear. He sneered at the bear clearly offended by being put on the defensive and with each bone attack the wolf was set on higher nerves. His tail twitch irritably while his hold on Red became almost too tight for the injuries the smaller wolf sustained.

 

Sans noticed the almost hidden log a moment too late, his voice calling out to the wolf just as his hind leg slid into the large log and toppled him over. Sans timed his attack, loosing a bone just in before the bear’s jaws snapped shut on solidified magic instead of the vital bones of the wolves.

 

Boss’ right paw swiped up slamming the saliva drenched snout further into itself and shredding the flesh beneath the fur. The wolf then bucked his legs against its chest, scraping claws as they went, and sent the feral beast tumbling back into the snow.

 

Sans let out a celebratory hoot. That last attack was a bit of a Hail Mary for the small skeleton and pulled a bit at his reserves.

 

“I'll have to up my endurance training with Captain Alphys.” Sans said with a soft pant. His starry blue eyes looked over at the wolves huddled closely together, Boss’ larger body dampening the cries and whines from the much smaller Red. Boss growled at the slowly approaching skeleton.

 

“It's okay, I just want to help.” Sans mused quietly. Gloves padded around for the long forgotten container of tacos but there was no telling where Sans had dropped it during their escape turned rescue.  _ So much for a peace offering. _

 

Boss flicked his tail in annoyance then returned his now white eyed gaze at Red. His injuries were really bad. Marrow and blood mixed over his body from Red’s own busted fang and the goring the bear received, Boss remained uninjured though he stared at Red with perplexed concern.

 

“I can help him.” Sans kept his voice as low and non-hostile as possible “Please, Red is my friend and I know he means something to you Boss.” Sans was almost in arms reach when Boss gave him a warning snap and as he pressed forward the wolf grew increasingly uncomfortable: growling, inching away, angrily thumping his matted tail. Seeing him in such duress squeezed at the small monster’s soul, but Sans remained determined and pressed forward a bit more.

 

"Please Boss.” Small arms opened wide in a hug motion to act as a peace offering "I promise I won't hurt Red or you.” Eyes shifted between the wounded wolf and the slowly approaching skeleton, visibly wanting to both run and shred Sans to pieces as the wolf's head lowered in another warning growl.

 

_ He could help Red. _

 

"Please, let me heal him.”

 

_ But can I trust him?  _

 

"Boss, I promise I will never hurt you.”

 

Boss sneered at the name, or lack thereof.

 

"What do you not like Boss as your name?” Sans asked and his head shook no. "Yeah, it's  more of a title. How about... oaf!” Before he could finish his sentence, Red was thrusted into the awaiting skeleton’s arms and the larger wolf had backed out of range of any possible physical contact. 

 

Despite his increased distance Sans could not help but beam happily at the wolf "Thank you Bo... I mean... uh Fell!” Fell cocked his head at the name, even raised an eye ridge but when Sans ceased to be paying attention to the larger monster's confusion, he sat on a not-too close rock with shrugged shoulders.

 

Comfortable silence fell over them as the wolf watched the little, blue skeleton work. Sans snuck peeks every so often but kept his smiles hidden. Fell watched him with such genuine curiosity and seemed to be almost astonished at how utterly gentle Sans was being. It was if he had never seen kindness in his life. 

 

The sentry smiled to himself, "Hey Fell, I need to get Red home to heal him more and it would take a while if I had to carry him.” The wolf’s eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion “If you wouldn’t mind carrying us back then I can get Red the help he needs before the damage is permanent.” 

 

Fell rolled his eyes and thumped his tail. Sans widened his grin a little waiting for the wolf to give in. A minute or so passed before Fell huffed loudly and went to stand from his rock perch. The wolf paused in front of the two, standing in a half crouch with a clawed hand extended toward the smaller monsters. 

 

“Mweh heh heh! Don’t worry, Fell! I’ll make you some delicious tacos once we get home!” Sans didn’t notice the ping echo through the air or the flash of blue over the large wolf’s soul, his excitement of finally reuniting the two wolves overwhelming all else. Fell’s face contorted back into the anger induced scowl from before. “Fell?” The wolf growled loudly then was thrown back into the rock he sat on before with a loud thud.

 

“Fell!?”

 

Again and again he was thrown like a ragdoll. From rocks to trees or even just getting smashed into the ground. Sans watched in horror as he stood shakily to his hind legs, growling lowly past the two seated monsters. The growls and gruffs accompanied blazing red eyes, digits popped and flexed, and his posture was straightened until he was at his full height. Sans followed those dark, angry eyes and a lead ball formed in his nonexistent stomach.

 

Pushing over the shattered bark of one of the many downed trees stood Papyrus, hood low over his shining orange eye and the once forgotten, though now destroyed, container of tacos clenched tightly in his right hand. The left extended and tense as he held the blue attack on Fell’s soul.

 

“Oh no...Papy!”


	5. Cause and Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every action has positive and negative reactions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, because of some things that happen in this chapter I will be uping the rating and adjusting some tags around.

 

The taller skeleton’s magic cackled dangerously in the air to the sight before his sockets. His brother, his baby brother was covered in blood and marrow. Laying unconscious in Sans’ lap was Red, covered in even more blood, marrow, and snow. The large wolf towered over them both, mouth open and growling at the new threat. Papyrus barely registered Sans’ pleas to calm down, not that he was going to listen to them anyway.

 

No, he needed to end this thing before it hurt anyway else.

 

“Papy stop! Fell didn’t do this!” Sans yelled out still pressing the wad of snow he had in his hands to Red’s face to act as an ice pack.

 

_ Fell?! He named it?! _

 

Papyrus clinked his teeth together almost painfully. Sans was already so attached to this wolf that he gave it a name?! He loved that Sans had the biggest heart in the Underground but damn if his little brother didn’t pick the worst monster to try and befriend. 

 

Magic laced sockets caught the twitch from the wolf and reacted. Papyrus flicked his wrist up, summoning a wave of bones to connect with the wolf’s exposed midriff. The bone walls increased in height at each new section the wolf cleared, which sent it leaping up and over Papyrus to land behind him. As soon as his paws touched the snowy floor the wolf lunged forward in a pounce, blood red magic encasing his flexed paws. The audible blip sounded more like a pop as Papyrus teleported away from the strike that rendered the five walls of thick bones he summoned to a crumbling heap of shards.

 

This wolf did not fight like a feral “Guess you really are the big boss around here,” Papyrus said with a crooked smile “With such  **paw** esome power, I'm thinking you're not too used to having your fur rustled.” The wolf struck out again but Papyrus dodged it easily.

 

“Papy stop fighting him!” Sans yelled angrily “You're making everything worse!”

 

The tall skeleton faltered for a moment, looking almost insulted by his brother's words. He was here to save  **him** yet Papyrus was the one making it worse?! As his mind clouded his attention snapped and movements slowed.  A backward swipe, one he should have easily dodged, smacked him square in the chest. Papyrus thanked the stars above that the wolf’s claws had curled into his paw instead of flexing out. 

 

He could deal with the nasty bruising the pseudo punch would leave, especially since it meant he would live.

 

A safe distance away from the brawl, Sans watched with fear induced awe. He knew Papyrus was strong, despite how lazy he was, but to see the display of power the usually sloth like skeleton possessed was a rarity. To see his posture change from hunched and slouching to crouched and ready to strike and to even see each of those strikes come out with almost as much grace and power as Captain Alphys left the small guard-to-be with a bubble of pride in his chest. That was his brother and he was far too cool. But then Sans would remember why he was graced with such a wondrous sight. Papyrus wasn’t, or just wouldn’t, listen to him. He attacked Fell first and with no provocation. To make matters worse for Sans, Fell was slowly trying to open up to him as well; however, now with this whole fiasco Sans couldn’t be sure how many steps backwards they had just taken.

 

Was the damage irreparable? Stars, he hoped it wasn’t. Red had gotten hurt so many times trying to get back to him and now that they were finally together again, everything had just fallen apart. Sans found it easy to put himself in Red’s place. If he had to hopelessly search for his brother, unsure if whether he was okay or not...wait…

 

Sans slapped a hand to his forehead, “Wowzers, how could I have missed that!?” Red and Fell were brothers...of course they were! The fact that they were both skeleton wolves should have pieced it together way sooner.

 

Papyrus could hear shouts from Sans, something about the wolves being brothers, but Papyrus ignored him. Orange magic flared from his left eye again, the inversed heart of the wolf turning blue just as a new wave of bones went toward his bulk. The constructs were interlaced with both blue and white bones, weaved closely together to make the likelihood of a safe dodge almost nil. Fell took a moment to consider his meager options, scanning the waves quickly before spotting the widest gaps he could that consisted of mostly blue bones and freezing. The white bones he couldn’t avoid collided with his arms, legs, and chest pulsing the sharp sting of his HP dropping through his soul with heavy thumps.

 

“Quite the bit of HP ya got there, Boss.” Papyrus whistled with mock amazement, he was well aware of the large pool of HP...and the high LV. The hoodie clad skeleton had checked the wolf’s stats the moment they encountered him in the very forest they stood in, collapsed in the snow with Red cradled in his arms. The sudden recollection of the memory cause Papyrus to falter. Boss, he refused to acknowledge him with Sans’ pet name, had brought Red to as close to safety as he could without out alarming the many monsters living nearby, and both wolves had turned out to be injured. If the wolf protected Red from all that just to get the smaller wolf to safety, was there a chance he wasn’t as bad as Papyrus made him out to seem?

 

Then there was Sans’ connecting to them being brothers, which only made Papyrus wonder if the whole fight was a case of “protective brother syndrome”. 

 

Papyrus shook the thoughts from his mind. No, a feral monster like Boss didn’t get a LV that high without dusting some monsters down the road. His actions were nowhere near the brotherly instincts that Papyrus was emitting, they were the unstable,violent instincts of a monster that was borderline feral.

 

“Oh, shit!” The skeleton lept away from another swipe that was launched at him during his musings, landing on an off textured mound of snow. Slightly more firm and darker in color, Papyrus tried to pay little attention to the possibility of him standing in another monster’s dust and more on the comfortable distance he had put between himself and the angry, red-eyed wolf.

 

From the sidelines he heard Sans yell out to him again, “Why won’t you listen to me!?” The small skeleton lept up and stomped his foot as if throwing a tantrum. Sans continued to motor out the reasons why Papyrus and Fell needed to stop fighting, ranging from “We could all be friends” and “Red deserves to have a safe life with his brother”, and for just a moment; if he was being completely honest with himself, Papyrus saw the flash of guilt and longing blink over Boss’ features. The features were quickly schooled and the wolf was on the offensive yet again. 

 

Papyrus bent his knees, ready to move as soon as the wolf would strike. Boss followed, lowering himself onto all fours and digging his digits into the snow. The wolf growled lowly and with the most subtly of shifts propelled himself forward, clearing the space between himself and Papyrus in a second but his mark was gone in another blip. Papyrus swung his body around with bone constructs ready to pierce through the Boss’ body as it was still recovering from his failed attack, but the taller skeleton’s magic fizzled out when he saw the back of his brother standing between himself and the wolf. Arms wide in a “you shall not pass” stance, Sans stood defiantly against the now recovered and towering Boss.

 

“This isn’t you, Fell.” Sans spoke firmly “You’ve done nothing but protect Red and you even protected me when that bear tried to attack us.” There was a proud smile on the sentry’s face as he watched the wolf slow to a halt, a look of consideration on his face. 

 

“Bear? What bear?” Papyrus asked with a more panicked tone than he had intended. Sans turned with a large smile that quickly turned to a frightful frown just as Boss growled. The ground around them rumbled slightly with heavy thuds and before Papyrus could react, he and Sans were wrenched off to the side as a pair of massive paws slammed down on the spot they had just been in.

 

Sans’ voice trembled with a level of fear Papyrus hadn’t heard since his baby bone days, “T-that bear.” Sans stumbled back into his brother’s arms, knees buckling under the weight of his own fear and his body flinching when the bear let out a bellowing roar.

 

“Don’t worry bro, I got you.” Papyrus said reassuringly “I couldn’t bear to let anything happen to you.”

 

Sans bristled at the words, the fear melting away to annoyance “Now is NOT the time for your puns, Papy!” The older smiled softly. True, it wasn’t the time but Papyrus would do anything to make sure Sans never had to have that all consuming fear etched into his features, even if it was something as silly as making jokes.

 

Glancing back to the bear Sans saw the final light of the monster’s sanity fade away into black nothingness. Its words no longer gurgled on its tongue were now replaced by the savage snarls and roars that permeated the air. Its frame lowered to all fours and in another thunderous roar the feral monster charged for the skeletons. Its pale tongue flopping out against the side of its face as its gaping jaws, still slathered in blood from Fell’s uppercut. 

 

The large wolf wasted no time going on the offensive this time, tackling the bear as soon as it came within his reach. The two became a matted flurry of claws and teeth. Fell would pin the bear down with claws digging into his neck and chest, snapping his jaws forward in attempts to sever the jugular only for the bear to mimic the movements with more physical force. Icy blue magic shimmered from its claws and teeth. Fell’s legs curled under the bear to keep most of its bulk off his body while enclosing his right paw around the bear’s throat to keep its enhanced jaws from landing a devastating bite. 

Papyrus watched with conflicted emotions. On one hand he was tempted to grab Red and Sans and teleport out of the forests, just letting the bear and Boss duke it out. But on the other, Boss had saved he and Sans from getting smashed by the bear. He owed the damn wolf for at least that. No matter how much he didn’t like the idea.

 

So with his mind set, Papyrus summoned his magic around the bear’s soul and threw it off the downed wolf.

 

Boss jumped to his feet in a defensive stance but Papyrus just shrugged. They had a common enemy for the moment and the feral bear monster was already proving to be a huge powerhouse. Snow exploded from a mound, the figure from it barely a blur as the thick arm swung at the two tall monsters. Papyrus ducked but a claw snagged on his free flowing hood and dragged the skeleton with the attack.

 

“Whoa, hey, I know I’m a catch but c’mon.” He grumbled, the swinging from the bear keeping him from teleporting. The bear pulled the skeleton up to its face. Eyes void of life stared into blank sockets, dark lips pulled into a threatening snarl. Blood and saliva laden jaws that opened wide to bite the skeleton released a shriek of pain in its place, the paw that had snagged the hood wrenched down with enough force to sever the cloth and free the skeleton from its entrapment.

 

Attached to the bear’s shoulder was Red, rending into the thick muscles and mangled fur with fangs and claws. The brothers were surprised to see such a determined, vicious face on the small wolf’s face so accustom to the soft slightly anxious expression he normally wore.

 

Forcing the monster back a few steps, Red jumped from his shoulders and into the ready arms of Papyrus. His wounds looked agitated now but Papyrus hid the worry behind a soft smile, 

 

“Thanks Red, ya saved my skin.” 

 

“Papyrus! Stop making jokes and run you lazybones!”

 

As the bear recovered Fell lunged forward placing himself between Papyrus and Red and the bear. Jaws clamped down with a sickening crunch. Sans cried out with wide eyes as he watched the bear monster’s teeth sink into Fell’s furry forearm. A soundless cry motioned from Fell, though no sound was heard from the wolf, and his body was tossed carelessly to the side by the bear. Papyrus tightened his grip on Red a moment too late, he squirmed from the tall skeleton to launch his aching body back at the feral before him. Enhanced fangs connected high just below its collar lingering long enough to shred the skin then jumping down in front of Fell with another snarl.

Despite his efforts the bear pressed on. Papyrus rose his hand to turn the bear blue but the bear turned on him, slamming his paws in quick succession to force the skeleton away. He contemplated summoning his blasters but the pure resilience of the bear made him weary. If he used too much magic and the bear still didn’t go down, he wouldn’t be able to get Sans out of there but if something wasn’t done soon they would be boned anyway.

 

The choice was made for him. A stray bone slapped the bear in the face and turned its ire toward his little brother. It got to Sans in two quick steps and rose its paw, claws flexed wide and tense. Papyrus called to his magic, felt the wisps coalesce into an undefined mass then forcibly cut the tether between his soul and unformed blaster when he saw the small blur of red and black blast past him.

 

Red barreled into Sans, replacing him in the attacks trajectory. All sockets stretched wide. Cries and howls echoed through the air followed by a sickening crack. The bear’s paw slapped pads first against the entirety of Red’s right cheek, avoiding the damage of the sharp claws but sending the wolf like a tumbling through the air and into a rock...head first.

 

“RED!!!” Both brother’s cried but the body stayed limp in the snow. The bear made a strange grunt that sounded almost like a chuckle before turning back to the skeletons, rolling its shoulders with a satisfying smirk on its face.

 

Sans felt his body shaking, “Red...get up…”

 

Nothing.

 

Papyrus clenched his fist tightly, “Sans...you need to leave.” There was no light-hearted chuckle. No pun or joke laced into the words. His brother was serious now and for some reason that just brought the whole situation into a new perspective for the smaller skeleton. He followed his brother’s order without any hesitation and rushed over to Red’s downed body, horrified to find the wolf conscious and whimpering. Sans’ hand was blocked by a furry paw, Dull, blue eyelights watched Fell’s blank sockets roam over Red’s downed form with extreme care. The large wolf seemed to be afraid to touch him, as if he would dust at the next touch.

 

Fell bent his body to the floor, the soft clink of bone tapping bone echoing softly, then rose to his full height. Magic collected and crackled around him, his right eye completely engulfed by its blood red color in a wild flame as the rest traveled to his clenched paws. Papyrus hadn’t noticed the ominous presence of the wolf until Fell was almost right behind him, immediately dismissing the blasters he summoned to stare at the almost demonic look in the wolf’s eyes.

 

“Boss?” Fell growled lowly, not looking at Papyrus. Heavy foot fall thumped the ground, the bear took a step forward with the smirk still on its face. With another grunt like chuckle, it roared at Fell but he just stared, scowling. The bear roared again.

 

And again.

 

And again.

 

The bear opened his mouth to roar again, The sound stopped almost as soon as it started, cutting off into a gargled pop. Papyrus froze. The entire bottom jaw of the bear was severed cleanly and disappeared into the snow with a soft poof. A soft moment of realization crossed over the bear’s eyes as a large paw grabbed hold of its head and forced it against the rock Fell had perched on at the beginning of the whole fiasco. He huffed angrily as he let the now limp bulk of the feral drop down to the floor, blood covered so much of his body Papyrus couldn’t tell where his natural red tints ended and began.

 

And then he howled; a pitiful, mournful sound but Papyrus couldn’t bring his eyes from the quickly dusting bear. The sight of monsters dusting made him sick to his non-existent stomach and even though he tried to rationalize that this monster wanted nothing more than to grind him and his brother to dust, he still felt a small pang of anger and guilt grasp his soul. Fell howled a few more times before staring at the dust pile, his hand still outlined with red magic. Teeth clicked sharply against each other with his tail beating the snow around in an irritated fashion, but the soft whimpers of Red pulled Fell from his clouded mind.

 

“Papy, he’s not good.” Sans said with a sniffle “He’s still awake and he’s in so much pain, and...and look at his skull.” Papyrus walked over to the smaller monsters, still keeping a socket on Fell incase he had a sudden bloodlust from the EXP gain.

 

Papyrus winced at the oozing head wound, “We need to get him to Undyne.” Fell had taken a step toward them meeting the glare from Papyrus, shocking the skeleton by stopping with his ears lowered slightly. “That’s close enough.”

 

“Papy, he’s worried!”

 

“He just KILLED someone Sans, I’m not taking a chance.” Fell lowered his gaze to Red unaware Sans was watching

 

“But he’s hurt too. We can’t leave him.” Papyrus scoffed. Sure, San’s might not be able too, but Papyrus was more than willing to leave Boss behind. He repaid his “debt” to the wolf for saving him and Sans but he did not trust him, especially after a kill. When Papyrus didn’t answer, Sans sighed and knew the conversation was done.

 

“Can he at least say good bye?” The request was meek and almost too quiet for Papyrus to hear but begrudgingly allowed it. Fell didn’t move at first and just continued to stare. It was only once Sans gently motioned him forward did he finally allow himself to take those steps toward them. 

 

As soon as Fell curled up around Red’s body, the smaller wolf whimpered in an attempt to get closer. He was finally conscious with Fell nearby and Sans could not be happier for the too but everyone knew it was short lived. Red’s condition was getting worse by the minute and a distant sound of shouting told both skeletons that they were not going to be alone for much longer. Having heard the shouting as well, Fell carefully pulled himself away from Red’s still whimpering form and turned to go deeper into the forest. 

 

It didn’t sit right with Sans, leaving Fell to fend for himself with such a damaged arm. Papyrus began to maneuver Red so he could pick him up as gently and painlessly as possible and Sans took that as him moment to run over to the wolf before he got too far.

 

“Stay close, Fell.” The skeleton felt suddenly small, well smaller than usual. The Fell now in comparison to the Fell he had almost snuck home was just so drastic it made his soul hurt “I...I don’t care what Papyrus says. I’m not leaving you out here alone.” The shouting was closer now, Sans could clearly hear Alphys yelling commands to the other guards. Their time was almost up and both knew it so Fell lifted him good arm and placed an open paw on top of Sans’ head patting him gently before continuing deeper into the forest. Papyrus stood with Red cradled in his arms, tense but unwilling to risk his brother’s life with the wolf’s paw near his vulnerable skull. 

 

By the time Alphys and the guards showed up, Fell was already gone into the deeper edges of the forest. The irate lizard bombarded the brother’s with questions and gave little time to actually answer any with anything more than a “yes”, “no”, or “maybe” but Papyrus thanked the stars for her quick realization to Red’s condition and their need to get out of there before the damage was irreparable. 

 

“Undyne will be at your house as soon as she’s able.” Alphys said sternly. The brothers nodded and were ready to teleport away before the captain spoke again “Neither of you are to return here until I’m back. Is that understood?” Though she addressed both of them, Sans knew the captain was directing that at him. So with one final nod, the skeletons directed the platoon of guards to where the wolf had “allegedly” gone then teleported to their home.

 

**~~~~**

 

As soon as Undyne showed up she immediately shooed the brothers from their shed to work on Red without their looming eyes. Papyrus had contemplated just going straight to her lab but Red was always uncomfortable the few times he has taken him there, and given the wolf’s condition it was best to make him as comfortable as possible. Sans had immediately gone into the kitchen and began cooking, whether because of his nerves or to just be ready for whenever Red would be up the older wasn’t sure but figured it was a mix of both.

 

“You okay, lil’ bro?” Papyrus asked after a few minutes of silence. Sans’ shoulders shook slightly before he took in a large breath and turned with the largest, albeit fake, smile on his face.   
  


“The Magnificent Sans i-is always okay!” Sans exclaimed with only a single hiccup in the sentence. Papyrus eyed him closely, which wasn’t really necessary as the large cyan tears had pooled at the corner of his sockets. 

 

“Really?” Sans nodded then turned back to his tacos. The small, pauldron covered shoulders shook a bit more as Papyrus pressed on. “Cause patella the truth, ya don’t look too good bro.” Sans gave his brother a soft huff but otherwise remained silent. Papyrus strode fully into the kitchen and leaned against the counter to the side of his brother to look at him as he spoke. Sans turned his head away and mumbled something below his breath. The younger continued to make tacos, going slower and slower with each passing second Papyrus’ gaze was on him until he stopped all together.

 

“I-it’s all my fault, Papy…” Sans cried softly. “Red...Red has gotten so hurt...and now...now he’s….” Papyrus reached a long arm over to his brother and tugged him lightly. Sans fought the movement at first but once his brother’s arms wrapped around him the floodgates opened. Sobs turned into borderline shrieks that were barely muffled by the thick orange hoodie. Papyrus didn’t try to shush him or really even ease the pain. He let his brother cry and beat his small, gloved fists into his against his bruised ribcage with nothing more than a soft, “Let it out, bro.”

 

They stood there until Sans’ cries subsided into off and on hiccups and the hands clenching at Papyrus’ hoodie rested flat.

 

“I bet Red doesn’t blame you.” Papyrus said confidently as he continued to stroke the back of Sans’ skull, “In fact tibia hundred percent honest, I think Red is probably happy to have a friend like you right now.” Sans pulled away and stared incredulously at his brother

 

“But I failed! Fell still isn’t here and now Red is hurt worse than he ever was!” Sans screamed, completely ignoring the pun “He could have been du-”

 

“But he wasn’t.” Papyrus interrupted. “And know why that was?” Sans adverted his gaze and shook his head. A bony finger poked his head, “It’s because of you numbskull. If Red would have gone out there on his own without you that bear woulda gnawed him to dust. Sans you fought a feral monster, something that not even a lot of royal guards have done.” 

 

A bright blue blush flashed over Sans’ cheeks as Papyrus finished. He still felt guilty but it had ebbed away a bit.

 

“Papy?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“What if Red...What if Red doesn’t wake up?” Papyrus looked to the direction of the closed front door then tightened his arms around his brother yet again.

 

“He will. He has too much wolf living for.” Sans groaned and slapped his brother’s chest but the smile, a real one this time, was still lingering on his face. The small skeleton mumbled a thank you before returning to his tacos that would be slightly more burnt than he would like, but neither skeleton would mind. Overdone food aside, they were alright.

 

Hurting, but alright.


	6. Deliberate Disobedience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is a determined skeleton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okkkkkayyyyy soooooo screw you writer's block....I got distracted with another story and this one was neglected for that so I'm very sorry ; ;
> 
> I hope this makes up for the negligence!!

By the time Alphys had returned to Snowdin, the “sun” had long since set. Sans laid curled up against his brother while Papyrus lazily sucked at his third honey bottle, barely aware of the world around them. After Sans’ mini breakdown, the younger brother’s exhaustion finally took hold and he easily dozed off against his brother’s soft hoodie. 

 

“Does he need to be awake?” Papyrus asked groggily to the lizard who released a large puff of air.

 

“I would prefer it, this is serious.” Alphys said, straightening herself off from the wall she leaned on “but if he's really not in any condition too, I'll expect you to relay the message.” Papyrus gave one last generous chug from the bottle before dropping it into the coffee table to give Alphys his slightly divided attention.

 

The captain reported that they did not find the larger wolf anywhere, not a shock since they were given wrong directions, and that in their search they had encountered an alarming number of ferals deeper into the forest. 

 

“The unsettling thing about all those ferals was they looked like monsters I've seen before.” Alphys squinted her eyes in confused consternation “there was a familiar, yet unfamiliar feeling about them and I don't like that.” Papyrus stared darkly at his boss for a moment.

 

“Like...they were copies of monsters?” that was ridiculous, impossible, yet oddly fit. The skeleton did not like it. Alphys didn't answer, only shrugged and grunted, and Papyrus kind of preferred that. He was tired and the last thing he wanted to try and do was talk science and theories of probability with a monster who carried boulders as a form of casual exercise.

 

So instead, the conversation shifted to the well being of the town. 

 

“Even the wolf doesn't push too close to the town. He's only done that once.” Papyrus stated matter-of-factly “So long as people don't go too far in you shouldn't have to pull more than one guard from their station.” Alphys grunted in acknowledgement but didn't otherwise elaborate. Papyrus took her silence as a means out of the conversation and hung his head back against the couch cushions. Sans snuggling deeper into his side only added to the older brother's comfort and wish for sleep.

 

Papyrus had barely started snoring when the soft, stuttering voice of Undyne pulled him back to reality.

 

“Any luck, Alph?” she asked quietly, the lizard must have shook her head because Papyrus heard no response for Undyne to have answered with “I see, w-well, I was able to sta-stabilize Red but I really don't know how he lived.” Undyne explained the dangerous levels that Red’s HP had dropped to, the excessive damage done to his skull and how it was going to be a scar. The list of problems went on and on and Papyrus closed his sockets tighter as if that would fight the horrible realizations off.

 

“But th-there is something else.” Papyrus heard the footsteps and door but couldn't gather the energy to move. Fatigue gripped his bones and he knew he wouldn't be able to force himself to stay awake any longer.

 

**~~~~**

 

Sans awoke to the soft knocking against the front door. He barely remembered falling asleep let alone falling asleep on the couch entangled in the sprawl of lanky bones that made up his giant of a brother. With some careful maneuvering and heavy lifting, Sans freed himself to answer the door.

 

“G-good morning Sans,” Undyne said with a soft smile. Sans welcomed him inside with an equally soft smile, apologizing for his state of dress as he had just woken up. Undyne dismissed the apology and followed the small skeleton into their kitchen.

 

“Is Red okay, Undyne?” Sans asked passing her a cup of coffee “He was really, really banged up and I know he doesn’t have a lot of HP.” Undyne sighed and repeated the same stream of information to Sans that she had to Alphys the night before but with a bit more detail. Sans wasn’t as into science as his brother was but the long hours of aid he had given the fish monster in the labs helped him become far more familiar with the terminology than the rough-and-tough captain. Sans took tiny sips of his coffee as she spoke, his face changing between hope and guilt as the information sunk in.

 

Undyne took a single drink of her coffee before standing up and motioning for Sans to follow her. She had shown Alphys her discovery as a means to challenge the ferals if the captain continued to search the forest but she wanted to show Sans as a warning.

 

“So, w-when I was working on Red he began to sweat and p-pant. At first I thought it was just from the n-natural healing that his magic was doing b-but...let me just show you.” The shed door slid open smoothly and the two moved quickly down the stairs until they saw the curled up form of the wolf sleeping on a large bundle of blankets.

 

But something wasn’t right.

 

Sans tried to find his voice, “Undyne...what...how?”

 

“I don’t know. L-like I said, he was panting and s-s-sweating and then he j-just...changed!” Sans stepped over to his friend, gently laying a caressing his hand over the wolf’s head and ears. “I have no i-idea what caused it or h-how to reverse it.” Red slowly began to open his eyes, well, eye and glanced around the room, his tail wagging happily upon seeing Sans. The skeleton’s small arms wrapped around him in a soft hug, careful to avoid the various bandages wrapped around his body.

 

“How did you get so small!?”

 

Red yawned and curled up against Sans’ body, acting like he didn't just shrink to about half his size as his eye slowly hazed over with sleep. The small skeleton gently caressed his head and willed himself to accept that maybe the this was just some weird, healing method that wolves had.

 

“He...he's pretty cute I-like that.” said Undyne as she sat down with the two small monsters. The small wolf’s tail twitched in anticipation of more affection, soft yips filling the room accompanying the pets he was getting. It settled some of the guilt that Sans felt building in his chest to see Red so affectionate despite all of his injuries, it made him feel like he didn't fail his friend. 

 

Some time later Undyne reluctantly told Sans she needed to begin working on the small wolf again and it would be beneficial to all parties involved if she proceeded with that task alone. Small hands ceased their pets and a soft sigh whispered out into the altered shed, slowly moving the wolf from his lap to the bundle of blankets and pillows that formed his bed. Sans placed a soft skeleton kiss on Red's skull before waving goodbye to Undyne and returning to the main house.

 

"I should throw both of you in the castle dungeons, Papyrus!”

 

"C'mon cap, can't you use your inside voice?”

 

Sans stopped, ducking just below the front window of the home to listen to the conversation inside. Alphys and Papyrus seemed to be going at it, we'll Captain Alphys was trying to go at it with the taller skeleton but Papyrus ’ naturally laid back demeanor made the screaming part of the conversation incredibly one sided.

 

“Two months, Papyrus! You could have warned us about the feral problem for TWO months!” Alphys yelled “If you would have warned us then we could have taken the correct precautions.”

 

The skeleton in question gave a dry laugh, “C’mon Cap,  you really think it woulda mattered? If it weren't for Sans that wolf would have eaten you armor, tail, and all.” Alphys groaned a loud “Besides I had Sans to think about.” If Sans didn't know better it sounded like Alphys flipped their kitchen table. The words that came after sounded more like  incoherent, guttural yells that Sans wasn't sure were ever actual words. Between all the yelling Sans knew if Papyrus said anything now he wouldn't be able to hear but he also knew that if he were to walk in right now then he would also have to deal with the Captain's angry tirade.

 

Sans took a walk around Snowdin while Alphys verbally destroyed his home, enjoying the familiar scene he had seen time and time again. His mind wandered a little, thinking about the wolf brothers walking with him through the streets, reunited at last. There would be people smiling at the trio, Sans sitting on Fell's shoulders and towering over all the citizens. Sans was excited! Despite how horrible it had ended, yesterday prompted amazing progress for Sans’ friendship with the larger wolf, Fell. In fact, the Captain screaming up a storm in his home gave Sans the perfect opportunity to push the relationship further.

 

"I'm sure the captain is going to be a while." Sans murmured softly. He knew from experience that Alphys could keep screaming for hours if you gave her a reason and Papyrus was likely to antagonize the captain at every chance he got. “I’m sure no one would notice if I slipped away for a little.” Sans decided that he would check up on Fell. They left the wolf in pretty bad shape after all and Sans promised to check up on the wolf as soon as he was able. Alphys and his brother were distracted so what better time than the present?

 

Sans rushed over to the store and bought an arms full of snacks and a small first aid kit. Sure sleep would help heal Fell’s arm but if he could get the wolf to accept food from him then that was just one step closer to earning Fell’s trust. Even better if the wolf let him bandage him up. With all his goods securely in his arms, Sans rushed into the trees close to his sentry station that way it looked like he was just heading into work if anyone were to suddenly take up an interest in his daily routine.

 

The forest was a bit brighter than when he and Red came through yesterday but Sans took it as a good thing. Increased lighting made it easy for the skeleton to track through the snowy dunes and miles of thick trees and on top of that it limited the chance of anything sneaking up on him like the bear had. It wasn’t until he crossed the unseen threshold into the feral territory did Sans feel the eyes on him.

 

“Fell?” He called out. Praying to the stars that whatever was stalking him was actually the wolf and not some other feral that just caught whiff of the food. A twig snapped in the distance followed by the ruffling of snow and leaves. Sans backed away and called out again. Silenced ensued for a moment then the sound of snow crunching filled the air once more. Sans steeled himself. Magic formed at his fingertips, ready to unleash an attack at the first hostile threat.

 

The crunching snow came closer and closer. Blue eyelights locked on the tree line and straightened his stance. The sound came closer and closer until Sans was overtaken by a looming shadow.

 

Sans yelped and jumped back, craning his head upward for blue eyes and red eyes to connect. His smile grew a bit wider, “Fell!” the wolf huffed his greeting to the small skeleton, dropping down to the snowy floor a foot or so from Sans.

 

“I got you some food Fell.” He said slowly. The wolf sneered at the packaged food, flipping his gaze between Sans and the food “I know, I’m not a huge fan of junk food either but I couldn’t go home.” Fell cocked his head a bit. Inquiry was vibrant in his eyes but the wolf just clinked his jaws a few times and lowered his head. Sans tried to slowly scoot closer but the sudden movement shifted the wolf back with a deep growl. Gloved hands were immediately raised in surrender and the small body backed away to his previous spot. The matted red and black tail thumped the floor a few times before Fell calmed down.

 

Sans let out a sigh of relief. Okay, so no getting close right off the bat, that would be something for him to remember. Since he couldn’t get close to the wolf, Sans placed the food at the halfway spot between them, letting the wolf eye the food curiously before reaching his good paw out and scooping the food up for an even closer inspection. Sans couldn’t help letting out a soft giggle.

 

“It’s not gonna hurt you Fell.” He smiled “It’s just not healthy.” The wolf huffed again but sunk his teeth into the package and digging into the contents. The process repeated. Sans would put food out to Fell and the wolf would investigate it before eating it. As the food continued to dwindle Sans took his chances and scooted closer and closer. If Fell noticed he didn’t react as negatively as the first time, so the skeleton decided to take it one step further.

 

Sans had been eying the wolf’s right forearm the entire time and he knew the wound was only going to get worse. The bones looked like they had been set correctly, which was a shock since Sans wasn’t aware that the wolf could set an injury, but either way he knew it needed to get looked at. And he was going to do his best to be the one to do it. Hands slowly reached toward the wolf’s arm. Sans was so close to Fell now that he could feel the wolf’s natural heat pulsing from the monster. He never would have thought the wolf’s fur would still be so soft.

 

“Ahhh!” Sans yelped in surprise as his body was forced to the floor and a paw rested meaningfully against his chest, claws tapping against the vertebrae that made up his neck. Fell knelt above him, snarling. “I-I just wanted to look at your arm!” The fiery red look Sans was pointedly receiving made the skeleton look away with a whimper. Another yelp hitting the air when the claws against his neck pressed inward and the tiniest dollop of marrow slipped out. Fell’s bellowing howl filled the air and the weight against Sans’ sternum disappeared in a flash. It didn’t take a royal scientist’s level of intelligence for the small skeleton to figure out he was alone now.

 

“Dang it!” Sans cursed, hitting the snow in a small tantrum. He was so close. Always...SO CLOSE! It was because of that he knew he couldn’t give up. He needed Fell to trust him so he could show Alphys and Papyrus that Fell could be trusted. Sans picked himself up and dusted the snow from his clothes off. Maybe it was stubbornness, maybe it was determination but Sans marched back to Snowdin and stowed the first aid kit in his station after cleaning up his neck a little bit. The sentry was sure a few hours had passed by now and decided to lightly calibrate his puzzles, nothing fancy but enough for it to be a feasible cover story if Papyrus or the captain asked about it, before returning home.

 

~~~~

 

Sans was gone. Of course Sans was gone. Why in this star forsaken underground did Papyrus think his little brother would stop? The taller skeleton dragged a hand over his face and lit another cigarette. Between the captain’s irritation with him about his lack of information and Sans’ self proclaimed mission of friendship with Boss, Papyrus just couldn’t catch a break.  This was his fourth cigarette in the hour and Alphys still hadn’t let up her reprimands for Papyrus’ lack of control of the situation.

 

“And furthermore, where the hell is Sans?!” the irate lizard shouted with a slammed fist “Undyne said she told him to come back in here when she started working on Red again and yet, do you see him in here?” Papyrus rolled his eyes as best he could. Of course he didn’t see him here, so why justify that with a response. Alphys growled at his silence and opened her scaly snout to throw some other slur toward the skeleton, pausing as the front door opened slowly.

 

Sans’ poked his head in, blue eyed sockets wide at the two monsters that stared at him.

 

All three stood stock still. Silent and awkwardly staring.

 

Sans gulped down “Um...hi?” and Alphys just about exploded on him.

 

“Sans! Where the hell were you!? I specifically told you and your lazyass brother that NEITHER of you were to leave until I briefed you on the situation!” Sans opened his mouth to defend himself but Alphys was relentless “This isn’t a damn game Sans! That thing in the forest is dangerous and quite frankly I’m disappointed in both you and Papyrus for keeping such a dangerous monster from my attention. What would have happened if that feral killed someone Sans?! You say you want to be in the guard and yet something as simple as REPORTING seems to have slipped your mind!” Disappointment flashed over Sans’ features. He knew Alphys would be mad but to hear her rant like this was still a bit hurtful.

 

“Back off, Alphys. It’s just as much my fault, you don’t need to snap on him like this.” Papyrus growled, crushing the delicate filter of his cigarette in his canines.

 

Alphys snapped her head to the older skeleton completely flabbergasted, “Yes I do, Papyrus! I can’t have my subordinates rebelling against me because they want to play good samaritan to some feral monster that has KILLED people! It’s feral. It is nothing more than a killing machine now, it’s not like Red.”

 

“Fell isn’t like that, dammit! Why will no one believe me when I say that!?” Sans fired out, throwing his hands around in exasperation 

 

“Because you refuse to show him to anyone!” Alphys countered with a strong venom in her tone.

 

“Because you ALL attack him on sight!” 

 

Papyrus put himself between Sans and Alphys, a hand reaching back to keep his little brother behind him while he stared angrily down at the captain. Sans hated that tears welled up in his eyes, it made him feel weak and it never helped when Papyrus immediately jumped to his defense. The two older monsters had their own silent stare off, seconds turned into minutes and the tension was palpable and uncomfortable.

 

Alphys was the first to break, “Whatever but let it be known there will be changes in Snowdin,” Alphys pushed passed the skeleton brothers with a surprisingly gentle hand for how absolutely pissed off she was “You both are suspended until this feral issue is taken care of. On top of that, I will be making an announcement that no one except for royal guards are permitted to enter Snowdin Forest until that feral is dealt with. Anyone caught will be immediately thrown into the dungeon, so DON’T let me catch you disobeying me again….either of you!” The lizard gave each a pointed look then slammed the door with enough ferocity to shake the entire house.

 

Each skeleton glanced at each other and sighed. Nothing ever went as planned and now Sans knew that his hopes of winning Fell over would have to be altered immensely just to avoid the detection of the royal guards that were sure to be stationed at all points of the forest.

 

Papyrus glanced down at his little brother’s calculated look and sighed, “You’re not going to stop are you?” Sans lowered his head.

 

“Would you be mad at me if I said no?” The pure innocence in his voice made it hard for Papyrus to be honest because really, yes he would. He would be furious. However, he also knew that even if his brother told him that he would give up his fool’s errand, he would still do it behind his back. Perhaps, if Papyrus tried to be supportive, he could at least ensure that Sans would be a bit safer than going out alone.

 

Maybe he could compromise, “I wouldn’t expect anything less of you really.”

 

“I’m really sorry Papyrus, but I can’t let Fell get ostracized because everyone is scared. You saw him, he really isn’t that bad.” His little brother defended. The taller skeleton took a long drag from his dying cigarette and hummed along. “I really really think that if people would just give him a chance that he would be accepted just like Red!” Damn his brother and his boundless amounts of optimism. That idealism was so frustratingly contagious. The older brother might not have fully believed in everything Sans preached but he did notice how happy Red was when the other wolf had been near him before they had to rush him home and that was just a bit more of a reinforcement to his decision to compromise.

 

“Alright bro, then I’ll make you a deal.” Papyrus said smoothly “You take me with you whenever you try and meet the Boss, and if I’m convinced that he can be rehabilitated then I’ll help petition for him to stay with us.” Sans’ blue eyelights shimmered with glee at his brother’s words. Yes, if he could convince Papyrus then he could definitely win the hearts of the citizens of Snowdin over and maybe, eventually, even Alphys.

 

But he needed Fell comfortable first.

 

“Give me a few days first! Please!” Sans begged “After what happened to Red I don’t think Fell will be comfortable with a lot of people and on top you did kind of attack him out of the blue, brother.” Papyrus clinked his teeth together. He had hoped his brother would just blindly agree but if he was being cautious still then that meant he really was with Fell this morning and it hadn’t gone as smoothly as it did when the older had interrupted them the night before. But he promised to compromised.

  
So he’ll compromise, “Okay, I’m giving you the week. Think that’s enough time?” Sans jumped up and hugged Papyrus around his neck, forcing the older skeleton to catch him or get toppled over. Energetic chirps of thanks and praise filled the room and Papyrus couldn’t keep the smile from coming across his face. It was a gamble he knew, but he loved his brother and he knew that the skeleton was good at reading others. Besides, he got his proof. He witnessed the Boss wasn’t feral, perhaps close to it, but so long as the wolf was sane enough for him to care about Red’s well being and his brother’s safety Papyrus would willingly walk over the icy slope of Boss’ temperament to aid the monsters that meant the most to him the happiness they deserved.


	7. To Be Lead Astray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A compromise is only a compromise when all involved are informed.

“Fell, c’mon! I only have one day left!” Sans yelled at the wolf’s retreating figure. Convincing Fell to be civil with the idea of Papyrus joining them for their little secret meetings had been less than successful. Each mention of the taller monster left Fell sneering and snapping his jaws before flat out walking away. It made progress slow and frustrating. The large wolf wouldn’t even let Sans close enough to look at the worsening wound on his arm or feed him anymore, almost like Fell feared what the food was poisoned now that Sans had mentioned his brother wished to join them.

 

Sans crawled over a massive log Fell jumped over, still yelling out his plea bargains only for each to be met with a disgruntled gruff or growl.

 

“Please Fell, Red needs this!” Sans argued trailing further and further behind the wolf’s massive stride. Fell glanced over his shoulder, sweat beating his brow and eyes flared red.  Sans didn’t like how strained Fell’s face had scrunched, the putrid smell wafting from his arm told Sans that infection had started to set in, and he was running out of time. “I know you need this too Fell!”

 

Padded feet stopped in a stumble, his balance teetering closer to unstable. Red eyes quivered as Fell tried to focus on the skeleton below him but who couldn’t tell which one was talking. His head shifted left to right trying to focus on Sans but a haze took over and he stumbled back into the snow. Sans rushed over to the wolf’s side, his chest rising and falling with short breaths that did little to cleanse the aching feeling of suffocation that had began to set.

 

“Oh no, Fell! Shoot hang on!” Sans immediately collapsed beside the downed monster, his magic forming along his hands in an attempt to heal what little he probably would be able to but Fell growled at the sight and pushed the small skeleton away. He struggled to his feet but his knees buckled and sent him back to the floor with a loud grunt. Sans tried to approach him again but Fell pushed farther away.

 

“Let me help you!” He yelled

 

Fell grunted and snapped, his tail thumping in agitation that spoke “Stay away from me.” Each step Sans took toward the wolf forced the large monster to push himself further back. His entire frame shook and sweat beat against his brow but Fell still would not let Sans even remotely within arms reach of him. Panic began to take over Sans’ mind. What if he waited too long to help? What if Fell lost his arm? Living out here without an arm was sure to be death to the wolf and Sans couldn’t stand thinking he was the cause. In a last ditch effort, Sans broke out into a sprint toward Fell. Red eyes widened comically as small arms wrapped around him in what could only be compared as “a hug from hell” to the wolf.

 

Fell grunted and growled loudly, pulling at Sans with his good arm with an odd mix of gentleness and force but still he held on. Little bits of healing magic emitted from Sans’ hands and pulsed against the wolf’s body. Without direct contact, the infection on his arm would still spread and get worse, but if he could at least show Fell he wasn’t trying to hurt him then the stubborn wolf might let him get the help needed.

 

Sans spoke with a calming, smooth voice. Sans explained what he was trying to do, how he was trying to heal the shattered bones in the wolf’s arm so moving it wouldn't be as painful. Fell continued to flick his tail and pressed his ears back in apprehension but fighting to get the skeleton off him was oddly taxing on his exhausted body. So with a strong huff Fell dropped his body to the floor, his broken arm extended out for Sans to do...whatever it was he was trying to do.

 

The warmth from the magic was practically immediate, Sans having wasted no time in beginning the healing once Fell had allowed him.

 

“See? I told you I wasn’t gonna hurt you, dingus.” Sans joked with his large smile and sparkling eyes “You should really start trying to trust people Fell. It can’t be fun alone all the time.” The wolf made a scoffing noise before turning his head away from Sans. The statement rang true though, Sans could see it. A distant, forlorned look rested in Fell’s flickering red pupils, one that Sans was sure he had seen at least a few times since the feral bear attacked them. Silence swept in after that. The small sentry did what he could to heal the broken arm, which sadly wasn’t very much, and settled the slow growing fever that was creeping over Fell’s exhausted frame; however, it was painfully clear that the large wolf would not be able to stay alone another night. Trying his best to explain the discovery, Sans spoke soft and submissively, allowing the monster to feel like his was still in power despite his quickly weakening state.

 

“I know you don’t like him much, but Papyrus can help.” Sans continued “He’s strong, smart, and way better at healing than I am.” Fell flinched at the suggestion as if it had burned him. Long legs unfolded and lifted his bulk upward, completely ready to walk away from Sans and the conversation.

 

“You’ll also get to see Red! He is staying with us after all.” As expected, Fell stopped dead in his tracks. It was a low blow, Sans knew, but the effect was exactly as desired. The large wolf’s complete and undivided attention was on Sans now, his eyes hurt yet hopeful. “We have been keeping him in that shed you snuck into because of his injuries, you can stay in there with him if you want.” Fell looked away, considering his options. Sans hadn’t lied to him yet and despite the initial greeting of the smaller skeleton’s taller brother, Fell could sense the protective nature of the monster. If Red was in such good hands with those two then perhaps, just this once, he could rely on someone else for assistance.

 

Without so much as a grunt, gruff, or bark Fell turned back toward Sans and began to walk to the entrance of the forest. Sans stood for a moment, just watching as the wolf pressed on without him, in complete bewilderment. It wasn't until Fell made a loud, grumbling grunt that the small skeleton actually realized that the stubborn skele-wolf was agreeing to return home with him.

 

Sans let out a loud whoop and holler, jumping up with his fist in the air. Fell rolled his eyes and continued on toward the entrance. The small skeleton was so strange.

 

~~~~

 

Papyrus never thought there would be a day in his life where he could honestly say he was bored, but for all the take stars above he was bored out of his skull. He had napped, he had lazed about, he even purposely dirtied the room by tossing his clothes into the magic tornado of trash he had made purely to frustrate Sans, but even then he was still...so...bored.

 

Between suspension and Sans being off in the forest most of the days, Papyrus was fairly limited on his things to do. He had tried to waste time away at Muffet’s, sipping away at copious amounts of honey to make the days go a bit faster, but if anything it just made them go even slower. So now he laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room with an unlit cigarette in his teeth, waiting for anything to to pull him from his stagnant reverie. The sudden vibrating of his phone shooting him into an upward position and lunging to answer it.

 

“Yeah!?”

 

 _“Um, Papy? Everything okay?”_ Sans asked from the other end, Papyrus was a bit too eager in that answering.

 

“Yeah, sorry bro, woke me up is all.” he chuckled, a bit embarrassed “What’s wrong did you need something?” There was silence on the other end for a while, a tense almost suffocating silence that almost made Papyrus panic that Sans was in danger.

 

“Bro?”

 

_“I...um, I need a favor. Can you meet your sentry station near the ruins?”_

 

Papyrus tapped his foot idly in the air, “Yeah, see you soon.” Papyrus hung up before Sans could say anything and returned his gaze to his ceiling. There was only a small handful of things that Sans could possibly need help with and Papyrus wasn’t sure he was actually prepared for any of them. But there was no time like the present so Papyrus grabbed his hoodie and walked down stairs for his shoes. Once tied he checked up on Undyne and Red, ensuring that the fish monster had everything she needed while he was out then teleported away to his station.

 

The quiet ambience was jostled by the sound of Papyrus’ shortcut cutting into the fabric of reality, immediately greeted by Sans.

 

“Hi Papy!” Papyrus rose a hand and grinned, accepting the leaping hug from his little brother.

 

“Hey there, what are we doing here?” Papyrus fished out a lighter for his cigarette as he spoke, watching Sans’ sudden shift carefully. Instead of talking, Sans motioned for Papyrus to follow him, a red flag in the older’s book, and snuck passed the treeline. He followed quickly and quietly, giving the small monster a bit of space as he pushed passed a low tree branch.

 

Yeah, he definitely was not prepared for this right now.

 

Boss stood hunched over against a tree, the arm that was bitten during the bear fight cradled closely to his body, his eyes narrowed and twitching from the infection that was setting in despite the obvious healing Sans had done.

 

Sans sighed and held his arm nervously, “You...you said you wanted to start coming with me to meet him. He needs help Papyrus, please.” the tall skeleton looked between the injured wolf and his brother, the ball of guilt settling in his gut. True, he did agree to start coming with Sans to meet Boss but he was hoping that the wolf would have either given up on the idea or that Sans wouldn’t be able to get him compliant enough to agree, yet here he stood. Hunched over in pain while still trying to look prideful, his fur that was probably once immaculate now matted and unkempt. Sans had a hopeful look in his eyes, one that said “Think of what it would mean to me, to Red.” and Papyrus sighed.

 

“If I touch him...he’s not gonna think I’m a treat right?” Papyrus asked in an attempt to joke. Sans and Boss both rolled their eyes and shook their heads, perhaps he could have a bit of fun. “Alright, fine, what are we doing?”

 

~~~~

 

“This is NOT what I thought you meant Sans.” Papyrus grumbled as they pushed the shed door open and hurried inside. “He shouldn’t be here!” Sans shushed his brother and continued down the stairs while Fell and his brother waited in the cramped walk way. Sans was sure to make his presence known to Undyne, who was vigorously tinkering away at something on the makeshift desk, and waved. Undyne returned the smile and wave, moving away from the small golden object on the desk. Sans explained the situation, trying his best to not be nervous about the circumstances. Shockingly, Undyne was completely, albeit nervously, accepting of the risks that Sans imposed on her.

 

“He won’t attack you. Just don’t make any sudden-”

 

“You shit! Stop!”

 

Sans spun his body around just as Fell tried to step down the stairs, his fever and blurred vision miscalculating a step and sending the large monster reeling down the stairs. Papyrus hurried down, his arms held up in a defensive motion.

 

“He wouldn’t stop trying to move.”

 

Sans sighed, trying to help the wolf up only to be shoved away lightly, “Undyne, this is Fell. Fell, this is Undyne. She’s the one who’s going to be helping you. Are you okay with that?” Fell looked at Undyne with a scrutinizing gaze that held little to no mirth due to his position on the floor “She’s the one who’s been helping Red.” Red eyes opened wide, suddenly very accepting of the idea of Undyne’s assistance. Struggling to all fours, Fell limped over to them. The scientist watched the stiff, unsure motions of the wolf and excused herself to the back of the shed for a moment, allowing Papyrus to quietly express his disdain for the plan.

 

“Sans, I really don’t think this is a good idea. What happens if Alphys comes?” Papyrus questioned.

 

Sans took a moment to consider the possibility but he knew the captain had little to no care about what was going on with Red, “She wouldn’t come in here without reason, and that reason would be someone telling her there was something going on in here.” Papyrus groaned, knowing that as right as Sans was there was still the chance that the angry little lizard could pop in just to check up on Undyne.

 

“G-guys,” Undyne spoke quietly “I-I have someone who wants to say hi.” The shy monster stepped out from the shadows of the back of the shed, holding a groggy, full sized Red in her arms. Tail wagging eagerly at the sight of the skeletons. Undyne spoke in babbling giggles with the wolf, pointing a finned hand to the slumped over form of Fell. The moment Red’s eyes connected with the panting wolf she could no longer hold onto him. Red squirmed out of the hold easily and lept into Fell, paws wrapped around the larger wolf’s frame, head nuzzling into the dirty fluff of the jacket wore. The happy cries that filled the room, brought tears to Undyne and Sans’ eyes, even Papyrus couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the two getting reunited, truly, for the first time. Fell wrapped his good arm around Red, lowering his head to rest on Red’s skull. Finally at peace.

 

“How long do we have before we really need to get Fell medical attention?” Papyrus asked. Undyne hummed, looking at the battered arm of the wolf.

 

“A d-day at the very most, but I-I should work on it sooner. Few h-hours, maybe?” She asked after some thought.

 

Papyrus hummed and nodded, “Then let’s give them some privacy.” Sans smiled happily at his brother who prompted ignored the sounds of happiness coming from both Undyne and Sans. What could he say, he was a sucker for brotherly love.

 

~~~~

 

Much to no one's surprise, Fell was not a fan of doctors. The trio had left him and Red alone for two hours, letting the wolves cuddle and play, probably even talk amongst themselves in their own way; however, when Undyne and Papyrus had returned to begin the treatment on Fell’s arm, he lashed out. Pulling Red away from them and scurrying into the corner of the shed with his single eye set ablaze. It wasn't until Sans had come in and talked the wolf down that Fell released Red and let Undyne work at his arm.

 

“He's made excellent progress.” she said with an even, calm voice. The lack of stutter showing her immense pride for the wolf that now lounged at the foot of the couch in front of Sans, who had Red sleeping on his lap.

 

Papyrus huffed, a bottle of honey tapping gently against his teeth, “Yeah I guess. I mean, none of us are chew toys so that's an improvement.” Undyne slapped his arm playfully before looking back at the peaceful scene: Fell’s head slightly elevated by the pillows Sans had laid out for him so the small skeleton could idly pat his head as well as Red’s, though careful of the new crack that ran over his right side, peeking into the socket a bit.

 

It has been almost a week, five days to be exact, since Sans talked Papyrus into allowing the big wolf in their care. Undyne had done wonders on the shattered arm. After shaving the arm bare to assess the actual damage, all that was left was to set the bones and wait.

 

“He healed fast.” Papyrus muttered ardently

 

Undyne hummed along, “T-tender love and care can do that. Judging b-by his temperament, I d-doubt he has ever known a loving t-touch.” Papyrus sighed and took a long swig of the honey bottle. He knew Undyne wasn't wrong but he wasn't going to admit she was right either, at least not out loud.

 

The two continued to stare at the adorable bundle for a bit longer before Papyrus stretched out.

 

“Alright, mind watching them? I'm gonna head to Muffet’s for a bit, hour at the most.” Undyne nodded happily, gripping her coffee cup and making for the living room. Papyrus rounded the couch and clinked his teeth to the top of Sans’ skull and let a hand drop to give Red a goodbye pat as well, leaving Fell to contently ignore his existence just as they had done over the course of his recovery. Giving one last acknowledgment of thanks to Undyne, he popped out of existence.

 

Sans patted the couch to welcome his friend down, but the approach was timid. Undyne wasn't afraid of Fell, not really, but she was afraid of spooking him. He was a trauma survivor of some kind and until they knew what kind, the scientist did her best not to approach him unnecessarily.

 

Which lead to everyone's astonishment when Fell gently nudged Undyne’s leg as she sat, making a small huff before settling his head back on the pillows near her legs.

 

“W-wowzers! That's...that's amazing, Undyne!” Sans exclaimed gleefully “He likes you!” Fell thumped his tail a few times, leading to more giggles from the fish and skeleton, but Sans just couldn't let go of the development. Fell trusted someone other than himself and Red! It was huge!

 

Undyne shyly pet Fell’s head, another huff escaping him but no negative motion or sound.

 

“R-remember when you tried to give him and Red a bath?” she asked randomly

 

“Mhm! Papy hated it cause we made a mess.” Sans laughed “I probably should have groomed their fur first but they were so stinky!” Both wolves barked at the insult, the statement leading to the friends reminiscing over the events of the past week. Of the progress Fell had made both in a social sense and in his health, how much happier Red was with Fell around him.

 

Undyne smiled moving the hair from her face, it was truly remarkable the effect Sans had on them.

 

“Y-you know, Sans. You've m-made a lot of progress as well.” she commented as quiet as ever “You've grown up a l-lot since you've let these two.” the small skeleton smiled widely, over dramatic tears in his eyes. His mouth ready to pepper out sweet words of affection and kindness for the compliment his friend had just given him, only to be interrupted by a fierce knock on the door.

 

Undyne rose to answer, hand barely around the doorknob before it was blasted open by a strong hit encased in lightning.

 

Panic set in as Sans knew the only monster capable of that.

 

“C-CAPTAIN ALPHYS!” the shrill cry of his voice set Fell into high alert, jolting the wolf to his feet in a defensive stance that blocked Sans and Red.

 

The lizard monster pushed in with R01 and 02 right on her heals.

 

“I wish I could say I'm surprised Sans, but honestly I'm just disappointed.” Alphys said with a growl “How could you ever expect to be in the royal guard when you side with a murderous, feral monster!?”

 

Fell growled out, a warning for her to back off.

 

Sans stepped out from behind the large wolf just enough to be seen by his captain, “I'm sorry Captain, but you're wrong!”

 

“Oh am I? Had you bothered to check in, you would know that your ‘pet' isn't very innocent!” Sans reeled back, confused by what the captain just said. He looked at Fell but even he too shared a puzzled gaze. “Guardsman Bombi was out patrolling the forest when that monster attacked him.”

 

Fell cocked his head, snarling in defense. Sans watched the body language and shook his head, adamantly denying Fell’s involvement. Alphys sighed, a hand squeezing her snout.

 

The battle axe on her back was unlatched from its strap, “I'm done talking Sans.” 01 and 02 pulled their swords out as well “By order of her Royal Highness, Queen Toriel, I am here by seizing the feral wolf you have dubbed, Fell.” Red howled out in protest stepping out in front of the larger monster with a snarl, his newly crafted gold tooth reflecting the electricity collecting in the lizard’s axe.

 

“Alphys please stop! This is unnecessary!” Sans yelled but Alphys paid no attention. Aiming her axe down to Red, the collected magic unleashed in a furious blast. Fell swooped an arm down and knocked the smaller wolf away, taking the brunt of the charge himself.

 

But it didn't hurt.

 

The lightning coursed through his body, that much he could feel but it wasn't hurting. It simply locked his limbs in place. Paralyzed. Without fear of the wolf’s attacks, the three guardsmen sauntered over with puffed out chests, magic dampening restraints clamped around Fell’s neck and wrists. The paralytic hold on his limbs releasing as Alphys stepped away, her magic tethering to the cuffs to not only force the cuffs chained together but to give the captain control over the wolf.

 

Sans cried, “Stop it! You'll hurt him!” to no real avail. 01 and 02 kept their swords pointed at both himself and Red to keep the two from advancing. Alphys gave a firm tug on the tether, forcing Fell to take staggering, pained steps forward. Alphys made them stop as she approached the door and looked over her shoulder with a disgusted, betrayed expression.

 

“I really thought you were better than this Sans.” the tone in her voice pained “Arrest him and restrain the other wolf as soon as I'm gone.” Undyne gasped from her spot on the ground after having been silent the whole time, but Alphys did not regard her. Even when Undyne pleaded with the captain to trust Sans about Fell’s rehabilitation she was easily shoved aside.

  
The last words from Alphys stung the group, “You can thank Undyne for your capture, fiend. Without her cameras I wouldn't have known the brothers snuck you in.” and then she left, tugging Fell brutally behind her, the hurt look of betrayal the last that the group saw of the monster before the bellowing wind and snow overtook their forms.


	8. Fight or Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He does what he must to protect his friends

Papyrus laid his head down on the bar top at Muffet’s wishing that he didn’t have responsibilities to return to. Muffet polished two glasses while leaning forward, gently tapping her petite hands on the smooth wood while humming a soft tune.

 

"You're awfully down today, dearie.” she said in an odd song-like tone "l would think you would be happy with all this time off.” Papyrus snickered a little, adjusting his posture a bit so he could look at the five glossy eyes staring almost fretfully down at him. Papyrus was shocked himself to find he hated all this time off, but with Boss and Red now in his home it wasn't all that bad.

 

The wolves were an interesting addition to the skeleton’s home and a part of him was actually enjoying the dynamic, the part of him that didn't mind sleeping with a murderous monster thirty feet from him anyway.

 

"Eh, you know me Muff, I just go with it.” His teeth pulled into a soft smile but Muffet looked nowhere near convinced. Her extra arms finished their polishing and grabbed new glasses all while keeping those intense eyes trained on him.

 

Softly she sighed, "It's about that wolf you rescued isn't it.?” Well then, now he just felt transparent.

 

"That obvious?”

 

Muffet giggled that strangely adorable laugh of hers and shook her head politely. It was a small load off his shoulders, he didn't need everyone knowing his secrets. The small spider monster explained that she noticed Papyrus’ long absences and short lasted visits, at first assuming it was the ever present complaint of Sans that kept him away only to find out from some passing guards that Alphys had suspended both the brothers.

 

"Ahuhuhu! I must say Papyrus dear, I was shocked to find out you got yourself suspended but once I heard about the wolves it made sense.”

 

Wait, wolves? How did she…

 

Papyrus sat up in his stool and gave Muffet an off glance. He was exceptionally careful when teleporting them from the forest edge to the shed, he was sure no one was there.

 

The tall skeleton leaned in against his hand, a charming smile replacing his offsetting stare earlier, “C’mon now Muff, I know you have good eyes, I only have one wolf.” the statement was slightly prodding but if he was obvious the bartender humored him, shaking her head and saying she heard differently. A quick glance was taken around the bar, a bit more packed than usual he noticed. Odd, but not importantly so.

 

“There was a guardsman that was attacked the other day.” Muffet said solemnly "He said it was a 'large, red eyed wolf' that attacked him. It almost killed him, Papyrus.” Muffet paid close attention to the subtle shifts and changes the skeleton gave, a slight downturn in his smile, the ever illusive narrowing or expanding of his sockets. Muffet watched for it all because in her years of being friends with the lazy skeleton she learned one valuable lesson:

 

Papyrus the skeleton was ALWAYS hiding something.

 

The monster in question did not answer immediately as he found himself thinking over the events of the last five days that Boss was in his care. Between Undyne, Sans, and himself both wolves were almost always under some kind of supervision and Boss almost never left Sans or Red's side during his recuperation. Hell, it was a chore just to get the wolf to settle down enough to let the young skeleton go to the store. So as much as Papyrus would love to pin this fiasco on Boss and get the wolf out of his hair, he knew he was innocent. Whether he liked it or not, Boss was innocent.

 

Finally turning his attention back to Muffet, Papyrus shrugged, "Heh, guess that's a real problem then huh?” The spider woman puffed her cheeks out a bit at the dismissive action. Fingers drummed harshly against the bar top but her attention was forced away from her friend.

 

Screams and shouts could be heard, loud and demanding. Patrons rushed to any available window, crowding around the small glass panes to peer outside to whatever event was unfolding. Muffet and Papyrus shared a worried glance, rising from their slouched positions to join the wave of people gathered in the front of the establishment.

 

The well polished portals gave Papyrus a clear view of the outside: the snow flittering about as the comings of a storm brewed, the flakes that accumulated on the floor bursting upward by heavy stomps from monsters that trudged through the thick flurry, but as the silhouettes became clear, Papyrus trembled.

 

~~~~

 

In accordance to Captain Alphys’ orders, R01 and 02 approached Sans and Red slowly, weapons held tightly in one hand while magic dampening collars dangled in the other, each step deliberate and calculated to not give either room to move easily. With their backs to the couch there was no true escape. Running upstairs would trap them and the door leading to the back would often stick and require a very intrigue sequence of rattling to open.

 

The guards asked him to come quietly and easily, claiming they didn’t want to hurt him but would if he resisted. Sans sneered at the suggestion, Red sharing the emotion by snarling,

 

“Sans, listen to u-”

 

**Thung!**

 

R01 dropped suddenly, 02 spun around in a panic at his dropped partner, worried words falling out of his mouth before another bellowing hit reverberated into the room, followed by the heavy thud of 02’s armored body. Behind both of the now downed guards stood Undyne, a frying pan firmly in her shivering hands.

 

“Undyne…?” Sans approached his friend slowly. He could see the fear clearly etched into her face, her yellow eyes wide with pupils shrunk to tiny slits. The tall frame of the fish monster crumbled to the floor and the frying pan clattering in a muffled manner. “Undyne, hey are you okay?!” Sans rushed over in an attempt to comfort her but Undyne rose an arm to stop him, her breathing labored and her body shaking.

 

Undyne’s stutter came on strong but Sans understood what she was trying to say. The small monsters gave a soft nod to their friends then bolted out the door to catch up to the captain. It took no time for them to come up on the retreating forms of Fell and Alphys and even in the billowing snow Sans could see the lowered head of the wolf. Oh how he hoped Fell knew they didn’t betray him. Alphys’ words still hung heavily in his mind but until he rescued the wolf from the captain.

 

Collecting his magic in his bare palms, Sans flicked his wrist out and summoned a wall of bones to halt Alphys’ heavy steps.

 

“What is the meaning of this!?” She bellowed out. The magic tether linking the cuffs around Fell’s wrists tightening enough to make the massive skelewolf flinch. “You dare raise your hand to me!?” Sheer ferocity filled the air around Alphys as her magic manifested into existence. The electricity cracked and zipped around, scorching the wet snow that surrounded them with a fierce sizzling. Fell turned his eyes to Sans and Red, his expression blank as he stood, slouched and unimposing.

 

Sans hated that look. Hated that it was coming from Fell. They had made so much progress with the wolf over these last five days and in the blink of an eye it was shattered worse than his arm. Sans had no idea if Fell would recover from this, if the wolf truly did believe that the others betrayed him then Sans knew, deep down, that it was likely he would submit to whatever treatment he was given and just knowing that hurt more than any injury the small guard to be had ever sustained.Sans knew he needed to prove it to Fell that this was not a betrayal but a horrible setback, so he stood his ground.

 

“I will...I will not let you take my friend!” He shouted “I don’t care what your guard says! Fell was with me the last week, he isn’t involved with any attack! You are detaining him unjustly!” Red mirrored his emotions with barks and growls of his own. Each sound pulled a bit of Fell’s attention but still the wolf’s defeated look remained. Alphys cocked a hip, looking unimpressed down on the small sentry and shaking her head.

 

Electricity surrounded her hand, “I hope you know I didn’t want to do this Sans, but you leave me no choice.” Sockets widened at the spear of electricity Alphys chucked, bones locked in place as fight or flight failed became fight, flight, or freeze, Sans’ body choosing to freeze. Red reacted instinctually, dodging to the side where he would be safe, leaving his friend alone in the blast zone.

 

Move! Move! You’ll die if you don’t move! An resonating howl snapped Sans out of his stasis, his arms snapping up in a defensive stance, summoning a new wall of bones to block the spear that was bolt that was thrown at him. The wall shattered at the impact, blowing Sans off his feet and into the snow but the knowing of Alphys’ relentlessness shot him back up, cyan eyelights sparing a look at Fell whose mouth still hung open from the last ditch howl that probably saved Sans’ life. A knowing look rested in the wolf’s eyes, a look Sans hoped meant that he knew the skeleton did not betray him despite the appearance of everything.

 

It filled Sans’ soul with determination.

 

Another spear of lightning formed in her scaly hands, her other releasing the tether she used to create the faux leash. When the attack came, Sans was prepared. A new wall of bones was formed but Sans learned from his previous mistakes and moved from behind his cover, a wave of white and blue constructs swirling through the air toward both the captain in an endeavor to push her further away from Fell.

 

“Yuhuhuhu! You’ve really done it now maggot!” Alphys roared, a challenging smile curling across her lips “You want a challenge Sans, fine. Consider this a new lesson!” The battle axe on her back thudded to the floor, immediately encased in lightning. Hands coiled around the metal belly and the short lizard’s stance lowered as her knees bent. Sans swallowed a lump that formed in his throat but still stood his ground. The wind ripped against his bones and blurred his vision making the cackling electricity around Alphys and her axe the only clear thing he could see.

 

The air cracked around them. Both monsters stared off, student versus teacher, friend versus friend. Sans couldn’t hide the fear that gripped his soul but he couldn’t back down, not now. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Red trying to scratch and gnaw away at the magic dampening cuffs on his brother’s body, but nothing really came from it due to the metal of the restraints.

 

Alphys surged forward with a mighty battle cry. Her axe scraped harshly along the snowy ground erupting the powdery flakes up in disrupting waves. Sans dove to the side when the snowy waves from the axe edge exploded into an arc of lightning, rolling to keep his moment and continued to distance himself from his irate captain while still shooting off his own blue attacks to slow Alphys down. Three more waves of lightning tore toward Sans. He dodged the first one with complete ease but as he went to dodge the second, a rock hidden beneath the snow sent him tumbling to the floor.

 

Sans curled into himself, the quickly coming lightning wave too close for him to get up and move to safety. Part of him wished he tried to summon a barricade of bones to diminish the strength of the blast. The shock wave from the lightning wave colliding with its target beat against Sans’ bones; however, no damage was done to him. He should have been dust, as horrible as that thought was, Sans knew he shouldn’t be alive.

 

“Heh, you look like you’re having a great time.” a voice commented with a dark tone, Sans clambered up to his knees looking at the new arrival and taking no steps to hide the smile that overtook his face “Mind if I join?”

 

“Papy!” Papyrus didn’t look down at Sans but smiled at the captain, the bone wall he summoned still intact even after the fierce bolt struck it. The tall monster narrowed his sockets at Alphys, his magic overflowing from his left socket in violent, angry wisps.

 

Alphys sighed, slamming the pummel of her axe into the floor, “Stand down, Papyrus. Your brother attacked me. He broke the law.” Papyrus dismissed the bones and lit up a cigarette, his gaze staying on the stout lizard.

 

“Don’t give me that shit, Alphys. You entered my home, attacked MY little brother under flimsy accusations that held no merit. What would have happened if I didn’t appear Alphys? Huh?!” The anger that boiled in Papyrus was almost painful. Seeing Sans curled up on the floor, cowering in fear from a monster he considered his friend tore him apart, so Papyrus stood as a vanguard between his brother and the captain. Imposing and powerful, two things that did not normally depict the lazy skeleton were now the only things that Alphys could even consider as a description.

 

Boss and Red stood back behind Alphys and watched the scene closely. Papyrus could see the hatred for the lizard in the wolf’s features, his eyelights shifting between her and Sans’ mostly hidden form. Red looked ready to attack but even the small wolf knew that he couldn’t do anything to help right now. The howling wind picked up to combat the silence of the standoff, Alphys’ laugh breaking through the dark ambience as she shook her head, her agitated voice forming into words of disbelief for the brothers’ actions.

 

The echoing chatter of the townspeople inside Muffet’s filtered out into the open night air, sounds of excitement and confusion but worst of all fear. Fear of, and for, Papyrus and Sans and naturally, fear of Boss and Alphys. No one had seen the wolf until now and this was not the light he wished to show him in, though if it was his way there wouldn’t be any light to show the wolf at all, restrained like a criminal.

 

“How about you drop all of this Alphys?” Papyrus suggested, earning a scoff from the guard captain.

 

“And let a murderer go? Not a chase.”

 

“Fell isn’t a murderer!” Sans suddenly shouted, standing up on his own two feet “Fell defends people! He only fights when he has to! Everyone would know that if they would stop attacking him first!” Alphys looked over her shoulder at the wolf meeting his deep seated hate filled look with one of equal malice.

 

She was going to prove to Sans he was wrong, “I will show you the truth Sans, I just hope you’re ready.” In a flash of yellow, Alphys fired an array of tiny lightning stripes at Boss, each hitting the metal cuffs withholding the monster. A loud, shrill schink pierced through the air as the metal bands fell from their holdings, freeing the captive monster. His body stretched and popped, magic flowing freely back into them then shaking the fatigue from his bones. It took a moment for Boss to drop his eyes to Alphys but as they stared, eye to eye, Alphys got what she wanted. That unadulterated rage Boss felt toward her for attacking not only Sans but Red came forth in howling force. The people in the bar cowering at the sound, Sans cried out for Boss to calm down but there was nothing he could do.

 

“Fell no!”

 

The voice didn’t reach him and the wolf lunged forward in amazing speed after the brazen captain. Scaled hands tightened on her weapon in a readying stance, magic filled the air in a roar, the path between Alphys and her assailant bursting into a combustion wall of fire. Papyrus laid a hand on Sans’ shoulder to shortcut cut them both to the other side of the wall of flames, his attention flipping between the angry monsters and the sudden wall of flames. Sans’ voice was low as he spoke, nerves eating away at him with the new arrival to an already horrible situation, a new and totally unexpected arrival to boot.

 

Behind the fire Alphys dropped to her knees. Fell and the others turning toward the clearing to the river person’s boat, meeting the stern, almost unforgiving gaze of a large armored figure; purple cape draped over her shoulders and a large gold staff gripped tightly in her hands that paired with the simple golden crown that decorated her horned head.

 

The skeleton brothers had seen their queen emit many emotions over the years: fear, happiness, sadness, to name a few but the sheer look of utter disappointment framed over her features was a clear sign that they were in for a world of trouble.

 

Seemingly tired of the silence, the queen stepped forward tapping her staff with each step, her voice was stern yet oddly calm for the situation.

 

“Explain yourselves.” Toriel spoke in a voice that carried over the crackle and sizzle of her firewall, Sans thanked the stars that the wolves behaved and didn’t lash out at the queen instead standing at attention with all focus on her. It was the best possible outcome for the worst case scenario, and all the brothers could do was hope that they remained this way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not exactly happy with how I left this chapter off, but I wanted to leave the more important details for a chapter that could focus on them.  
> ALSO! I wasn't sure what US Alphys' laugh would be so I just made it close to UT Undyne >.>


	9. What Lurks In The Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's always something more going on beneath the surface

The guard Captain rose to her feet in a fluid motion, stomping over to the Queen’s side once the firewall had dissipated.

 

“Your majesty, these wolves are the two I've spoken to you about.” she said in an almost polite tone “The large one specifically is responsible for several atta-”

 

“THAT’S NOT TRUE!” The two monsters stared wide-eyed at the exploding skeleton “Fell couldn't have done those! I've spent the last two weeks with him!”

 

Alphys snarled, “Even you have to sleep! You can't account for his whereabo-”

 

“Enough!” the dull sound of the staff hitting the floor left an underwhelming pop in the air compared to the raging flames that spewed from it. Queen Toriel pressed a paw to the bridge of her snout, sighing deeply “I will not tolerate this bickering back and forth. The manner of the wolves can be later discussed; however, the violent skirmish I dispersed can not.” Sans lowered his head in embarrassed shame, the Queen was right. He had crossed the line when normally he was so absolutely controlled. 

 

What would have happened if a kid was out playing? Or an innocent bystander got hit by a stray attack? The small skeleton wished to apologize but he couldn't trust his voice to sound even remotely confident. Fell and Red took slow, calculated steps to Sans, Fell rounding his back while Red stood in front to form a sort of protective cage around their charge. The action earned a sideways glance from the Queen but her attention was otherwise on the captain.

 

“Captain, I believe I gave you strict orders to await my arrival before approaching Sans and Papyrus.” Toriel said in an almost questioning tone “Though it's true Sans did break the law in attacking a guardsman, I can not help but feel this attack was in self-defense.”  Alphys stared astonished at the queen, at a total loss in the shift of support.

 

“But your Majesty-”

 

A hand was raised to stop her, “There will be consequences against both sides at a later time. As the situation stands you are both guilty for not thinking clearly.” Both monsters in question slouched their shoulders in defeat, leaving Toriel to turn her gaze between Papyrus and Fell “Now, in the matter of the wolves, while I can see they are not feral, I can also see they harbor a great potential of violence.”

 

Papyrus rolled his eyes at the comment, puffing lightly at the cigarette trapped between his canines. Toriel seemed to notice the skeleton’s opposition to her statement and urged him to speak his mind. Papyrus thought about what to say for a moment, whether he should be honest or not. His mind flashed to how Sans fought to defend Boss and Red, how he almost DIED to keep those wolves safe, and how Fell immediately lashed out in his brother’s defense once his restraints were freed.

 

Stars he couldn't believe he was about to say this.

 

“They're fuzzballs.” Papyrus answered flatly “Fuzzballs that are protective of those they care about but fuzzballs nonetheless.” the skeleton could hear the gruff and whiny sounds coming from his side, smiling at the clear displeasure Boss had on his face at being called a “fuzzball”. The queen seemed to not find comment very amusing as her eyes narrowed to thin slits and lips pulled into a straight, hard line. Bony hands were raised in defense as the older brother began to explain his meanings.

 

Papyrus hated admitting it, but Boss had grown on him during his recovery. The unbridled disdain he had felt for the wolf had began to shift when he saw how Boss acted when Red was involved, the love and care he showed toward the small wolf, and the process quickened when his own brother was treated tenderly as well. Papyrus found himself chuckling at his thoughts, how had he gone from wanting to get rid of this wolf to defending him?

 

“So,” Toriel’s voice broke through the threshold of his mind “You’re telling me that these two monsters will only attack if provoked?” The tone in her voice was almost as cold as the wind that bellowed between them or the ice that nipped his bones.

 

Sans stepped forward with a large smile, “Absolutely! Fell’s a bit rough around the edges but he’s making progress!” Red yipped in agreement and Papyrus couldn’t help but laugh at the two, Boss stood a passive, a bit confused, but passive nonetheless. Alphys on the other hand looked ready to explode. Her magic sparked and danced all around her body at each and every word said in Boss’ defense until it exploded in a thunderous strike around her.

 

Like the lightning around her, Alphys’ voice shattered against the false sky of the Underground, “THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! MY GUARDSMAN WAS ALMOST KILLED AND I'M EXPECTED TO JUST SIT BACK AND WATCH AS THE BEAST RESPONSIBLE IS-IS PRAISED?!” Fell dropped an arm around Sans, pushing him back and growling at the belligerent lizard, ready to attack if she chose to advance on them. Another hollow thud whispered beside the wind that concealed it then the familiar roar of fire tore across the icy floor in pulsing waves. 

 

Snow turned to slush as the heat waves beat against Alphy’s scales. Toriel stepped forward, moving for the first time since she arrived on scene. She spoke calmly at first, voice soft as the snow she treaded on, sympathizing with the pain and responsibility the captain had as it was something she faced as queen quite often, only to then sneer at Alphys’ disrespectful, childish behaviour.

 

“Rest assure, captain, when my inspection of Guardsman Bombi is complete, the necessary actions will be taken.” Toriel said, returning to her soft spoken tone “However until then, please, have faith in me.” The guardswoman scrunched her face in frustration, looking at each monster around her before returning to her queen and nodding. It was obvious that Alphys did not enjoy the idea but even she knew when she was just being plain defiant. Not to mention she really didn’t want to try and fight the queen, Papyrus, and that damn feral nuisance all at once.

 

With Alphys subdued, Toriel turned to the skeleton brothers. Fell remained defensive, his long arm covering most of Sans’ body while the small monster seemed torn between wanting to beam at his queen for her verdict or help his friend through her frustration. Papyrus was a blank canvas for the most part, his cigarette held to his teeth while his sockets laid void and staring. Between the increasingly heavy snowfall and the smoke from her own magic, Toriel couldn’t read anything else from the skeleton accept indifference, not an emotion she would expect after everything that had just happened.

 

But that wasn’t important, not right now.

 

Silence fell over the group while their daylight burned, that same awkward silence Sans felt was consuming his life as of late.

 

“So, what now?” the skeleton asked, breaking the tension with an overly innocent voice.

 

Toriel smiled, “Well, I would like to speak to each of you alone if that’s at all possible.” Sans nodded and gently moved Fell’s arm away from him so he could step forward beside Red. Toriel gauged each of their reactions: excitement, frustration, indifference, curiosity...the spectrum was wide and she had been a ruler long enough to know it would be best not to mingle so many emotions into a serious conversation tonight even if they were one on ones. “But first, why don't I get to know your new friends. Judgements seem to have been made with little knowledge and I would like to redeem that.”

 

“I can make tacos for everyone!” exclaimed Sans with his normal boisterous self, grabbing hold of Red and Fell’s paws and pulling them back to their home. Alphys bowed to the queen, respectfully declining the suggestion. As Sans and the wolves ran off into the snowy backdrop, the silhouettes of R01 and 02 soon replaced them, heading straight for Alphys and apologizing for allowing Sans and Red to escape just to be shocked to hear their captain tell them the monsters were free to go and they were to return to their patrols. The guards nodded, saluting their captain and queen, then scurrying off to do their civil duties with Alphys bringing up the rear.

 

Papyrus came up beside Toriel, his arm politely raised to direct the queen to his abode. The goat monster bowed her head at the gesture and took up lead to the skeleton home, stopping just before their door.

 

“Tensions are quite high as of late.” Toriel stated abruptly “I worry for my people, for my friends, like Sans.” Papyrus arched an eye ridge, nodding to what she was saying “I hope that these wolves will prove a positive force to our Underground.” 

 

_ Ah, so that’s what it was about. _ “Heh, the big one takes some getting used to, but Boss isn’t as bad as I thought he was.” The skeleton didn’t elaborate much on his statement but Toriel seemed content with the basic answer as she smiled and walked through the threshold to the home. Papyrus stayed behind, lighting a new cigarette and leaning against the wall. All of the magic induced adrenaline from earlier had finally died off from his body, leaving him winded and in desperate need of a cat nap, dogs in his house be damned. Enjoying the last few puffs of his smoke, Papyrus snuffed it out in the snow and rested his head against the cold, icy wall of his home taking a moment to enjoy the atmosphere.

 

Cheers and giggles echoed against the wall in smooth vibrations, Sans talking with the queen. Small boofs and whines, padded feet scampering about the kitchen as Sans acted like a head chef, Red and Boss apparently more than pleased to accommodate his small brother in the endeavor. How long had it been since something new happened? Since the snow stopped simply just falling and began to weave and dance in the air? Papyrus, for once, couldn’t remember. Not that it was a bad thing, it was just...strange. He always remembered things, it was like a curse but now he couldn’t remember something as simple as the last time something new had happened in his and Sans’ life. Had it really been that long?

 

A plop in the snow broke Papyrus’ concentration. It sounded like someone fell maybe? With a shrug, he lazily strode to the tall, ever green and snow covered trees. Lo and behold an imprint rested in the snow, the framework of a body made in the fluffy ground, dirtied by something dark and wet looking that Papyrus decided against shoving his hand in. Whatever it was, it trailed out along with some long footprints leading the way.

 

Papyrus knew he shouldn’t follow it. There was something off about this, all of it, but his curiosity took hold. He blamed his suspension for his sudden need to be active. But he followed them nonetheless, keeping his pace steady as followed the trail of footprints and sludge until the trees and snow were replaced with the marshy floors of Waterfall, the footprints now barely visible leaving only the strange sludge for Papyrus to follow.

 

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” A scream echoed out into the caves, rebounding off the walls causing the skeleton to flinch. Papyrus pressed his body against the wall barely peeking a socket over the edge so he could see the exchange.

 

Two figures, shrouded in black, one slouching low like they were cowering while the other loomed. Lean but still broad shouldered, towering over the frightened individual. Shades of red and purple flowed through the tall figures body, magic that was no longer stable falling off his body in the same strange sludge that lead Papyrus to the cave in the first place. The looming figure spoke in gumbled, choked sounds, sounds Papyrus couldn’t make up or make out even if he wanted to.

 

The cowering monster waved his arms frantically to keep the other away from him, “Wait! W-w-wa-wait! I can do better! I can get it done!” Magic dropped to the ground in heavy globules, sparking for a moment before the red and purple darkened to black. The coward’s foot beat against the ground as fear set in, the sound of things slithering in the dark caves echoing in the distance “Please, please, please...I don’t want to be one of them!” Thick, black tendrils jutted from the ground, coiling around the other monster’s body. More gargled words filled the air, Papyrus could see the tendrils getting scratched at but the nothing the other monster did seemed to work. 

 

He choked in their hold, gasping for air he desperately needed while the other barked orders in its broken words. Papyrus couldn’t pull his eyes away, despite the spike in his magic that told him to flee in ever living terrot, his bones were cemented in place. The choking and the gurgling stopped from the victim, his body thudding to the floor as the tendrils evaporated away into heavy smoke. Oxygen flooded back into his lungs, gasping and coughing. 

 

The angered monster spoke one last time, his underling sobbing out a quiet “Of course, I’ll get it done..I promise.” just for his abuser to disappear into the floor. The figure disappearing was finally enough for Papyrus to pull his eyes away, panting lightly and letting what he just witnessed sink in.

 

“Shit, I’ve been gone too long.” Or at least he felt like he had been, the rocky caves made it hard to tell what time it actually was, flickering blue a constant in the swampy tunnels. A part of his soul wanted to go and help the downed monster but the smarter side took control, finally, and told him to do the only thing he should have done in the first place. Go home.

 

Sneakers crunched against the gravel, spinning his body around to hurry out of the damp cave but becoming entangled by something that felt similar to slime. Instinct took over, he struggled. Fighting against the burning tar that trapped him. 

 

Black, nothing but black, as far as the eye could see. Purple and red slowly muddled in, forming into a disfigured face.

 

“H E L L O, P A P Y R U S.”

 

**~~~~**

 

Screams.

 

Bone chilling, spine shattering screams.

 

And the dark. He was in the dark. Or were his eyes closed? He couldn’t be sure. But Sans...where was Sans?

 

“Sans!? SANS!?!” His body lunged up, sweat drenching his bones. The darkness was pushed away, arms had wrapped around him and soft cries racked against his non-existent ears. Papyrus’ world slowly began to fill in, colors shifting from grays to blues and greens. In the corner of his room stood Boss with Red standing in front of him, Undyne stood in the doorway, hands clamped down over her chest, and his little brother had a death grip around his middle and his head buried in Papyrus’ shoulder. 

 

Sans sat in his brother’s lap, “You’re okay! Wowzers, Papy you scared us to death!” Trembling hands wrapped around Sans’ body, finally returning the hug.

 

“What happened?”

 

“You just...teleported in Papy. You were screaming and patting at yourself like something was attacking you.” Sans sniffled and pulled away from his brother to look over at Fell and Red “Fell had to pin you down before you hurt yourself.” Papyrus nodded but the scene his brother described held no place in his memory. He couldn’t remember…

 

Blank sockets looked over to Undyne, “Why can’t I remember?” The fish woman shrugged, stating that he might have hit his head during he and Boss’ struggle but outside of that she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t the answer that he wanted but it was the only answer he figured he would be getting right now “What about the queen?” Sans laughed awkwardly “She saw all that didn’t she?” Everyone in the room nodded, even the damn wolves. Papyrus sighed and flopped back into the bed. Embarrassing himself was one thing, acting like a crazy person while the queen is a guest in your house was a completely different thing.

 

“I-I’m sure the queen only w-wishes you a quick recovery.” Undyne tried to encourage, giving a small smile to the brothers. It was an appreciated gesture, it did little at the moment since Papyrus still felt like he got punched by an Aaron but hey, it was the thought that counted.  “Sh-she did want you to come by the c-castle today, if you’re feeling well!” Papyrus made a motion for Sans to get up so he could do the same. The all began to filter out of the room, first Undyne, then Red. Sans tried to stay by his side, a small coughing fit springing up in the older brother’s chest worrying the small monster.

 

Papyrus pushed him out with a huff, “I’m fine, I’ll be down in a second.” Sans puffed his cheeks out, but called out to Boss to follow. The wolf stared between the two, tapping a claw on his teeth before following Sans out of the room. Papyrus waited until they were down the stairs to rush to the bathroom, staring into the mirror. Nothing seemed off, his bones were still an off white, his teeth were still there. It wasn’t until he rose his hand and saw the black sludge slipping down his bones did he start to feel the unmistakable pull of panic cake over his bones.

 

He still couldn’t remember. He remembered the monster getting attacked but everything else was black. Papyrus cursed, slamming his fist against the countertop, the same words repeating themselves over and over to the echo of the bathroom.

 

“Why can’t I remember!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things should start getting interesting now :D


	10. At A Moment's Notice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything can change

Despite the fear he felt at his fleeting memory, Papyrus kept up his usual, bored look throughout the day. Sans insisted on preparing a full breakfast for the group even though Papyrus and Undyne both tried to tell him it wasn't necessary, but once the hearty aroma began for fill the room they were far more agreeable. As the table was set by Undyne, Papyrus sat on the couch with Red curled on the far end dozing with a large smile. Boss made some disgruntled noise from the kitchen but didn't move from his spot beside Sans.

"So, what do you think the Queen would like to talk about?” the young skeleton asked as he put food on every plate. Papyrus picked up the wolf, who squirmed a bit, and carried him over to the table.

"She didn't say when she was here?” He asked but Sans shook his head. Damn, he had been hoping for a bit of information to bring some light on his own situation. Papyrus still couldn't remember jack from what happened last night aside from that monster getting attacked, but even its assailant had evaded his memory. Then there was that black ooze shit that was a different factor entirely, a factor Papyrus was almost too scared to deal with.

Stuck in his own thoughts, the nervous looks Sans had been shooting Papyrus went completely unnoticed by the older monster. Sans knew his brother was strong and really didn't need to be fussed over, but that horrified look he had when he teleported home last night was still very fresh in Sans' mind. It didn't help that Fell and Red had been oddly distant from Papyrus, in fact the smaller wolf looked almost scared to be near him, which was exceptionally worrisome because Red absolutely loved Papyrus.

Sans decided to wait until after they were all done eating to voice his concerns about his big brother, only for the older skeleton to interrupt hism as soon as he went to speak

"We all ready to see the queen?” Papyrus yawned slightly as he asked. The others nodded their heads slowly, not having much against or for the motion but Sans refused, shaking his head in vehement disagreement.

Blue eyes stayed focused on Papyrus, "No way, brother! You need to let yourself recover!” The currently tank top clad skeleton shrugged with a lazy smile.

"C' mon, bro, I'm fit as a fiddle.”

"No you're not! You were screaming bloody murder barely six hours ago!” Papyrus took a step back from his brother, more shocked that he had yelled than anything. It wasn't that he didn't understand the concern and stars know he appreciated it, but Papyrus couldn't afford it. Not with some mysterious monster attacking, assumably feral, bastard roaming around.

But once his brother was set on something the hardest thing to do was try and change his mind. 

"Heh, shouldn't you be happy I'm NOT sleeping, Sans?” He winked as Sans puffed his cheeks into a pout.

Still he stood his ground, “W-well normally yes! However this is a more important matter! And it’s going to be a one time get out of work free card!” Undyne couldn’t keep her giggles in when the brothers began to lightly bicker back and forth, the topics they were defending being different just adding to the amusement the scientist felt.

After a few more minutes of playful arguing, Papyrus conceded “Alright, nyeh heh, you’re too smart for me bro.” His hands were raised placatingly in front of him “I guess I’ll just go nap then. Catch ya later.” Sans waved to his brother while saying good night with a smile, hands posed triumphantly on his hips at his victory in the battle of persuasion. Then Red began to make a noise similar to laughing, curling on the floor with his paws covering his face. The sentry looked over to Fell and even the normal scowl on his face with twitching in the form of a smile. It wasn’t until Sans looked over at Undyne that the thought clicked in his head.

“He teleported away didn’t here.” they all nodded “Oh...PAPYRUS!!!”

~~~~

Papyrus’ teleported landed him right at the entrance to the Queen’s castle. He felt bad about tricking Sans, kind of, but this was for his own good. It couldn’t be helped. Not yet. He didn't bother knocking opting to walk right in, the door being left cracked open seemed like a welcoming invite in his eyes, but as he traversed the long, golden halls the echoing of an argument were slowly coming into earshot. 

The first was irreplaceable Alphys, her barking tone amplified by the hallow halls. The other was far more quiet, controlled. Even as the tone deepened in frustration or anger it was still restrained.

“I told you Captain that I was going to investigate guardsman Bombi’s statement about the feral that attacked him.” The voice said heavily “And now you're here telling me that he mysteriously...vanished?” a booming hit crashed down on what Papyrus assumed was either a table or one of the many stone pillars. He gave a lot of credit to the queen, she had the patience of a saint.

He walked up on Alphys pacing, electricity popping off her hands, “Damn it Your Majesty he didn't disappear! He was taken! There was black magical residue all over his quarters!” Now that caught Papyrus’ attention. His magic engulfed him, popping him out then back into reality and right next to the queen and Alphys.

“Oh my...Papyrus!”

“Holy star fu-!”

“Hey ladies, sorry to just pop in.” he was greeted with a fist from the stout captain, her face lightly blushed from the small fright Papyrus had given both her and the queen “C’mon now Alphys, I know you're shocked to see me but no need to light up the room.” The captain swung at him again, more for the joke than anything else, before calming herself as much as she could to continue her not so pleasant conversation with the queen.

Toriel had collected herself far quicker than Alphys, though Papyrus by no means missed the death glare she shot him. Clearing her throat in a respectable fashion, Toriel turned to the snickering skeleton.

“I'm glad to see you are feeling better Papyrus.” she offered politely “I did not expect to see you so soon.” he gave her a brief bow of his skull, his smile returning to its normal, lazy stature. He gave a friendly, far more acceptable greeting to them before stepping away to allow their conversation to continue. Alphys picked up right where she left off, explaining the strange substance she had found when she went to check up on the guardsman. Papyrus took in the information, hoping it would either trigger some repressed memories or explain what happened to him this morning.

Unfortunately, it did none of those things and only added to his pool of questions.

“Did it took almost like paste?” He asked suddenly "Or... tar maybe?” Papyrus didn't miss the flash of suspicion that Alphys had shown, but chose to ignore it to not rouse the captain's senses anymore. An affirmative nod was given by the lizard monster which caused Toriel to step forward.

Toriel gone off a worried hum, not really wanting to press the issue after what she had seen the previous night but knowing they were running out of options. Guardsman Bombi was missing, Papyrus had some sort of episode, and her citizens were reporting more and more ferals. How long could she neglect their cries for the comfort of the few?

"I remember seeing the same thing in Waterfall before I lost my head last night." Papyrus jumped to respond, noticing Toriel's sudden, and out of character, hesitation. Alphys narrowed her eye for a second then slapped her hands together like some world shattering realization had just come to her. She turned to the queen and asked to excuse herself, getting a wave of approval before saluting and sprinting out of the large room.

Now alone, Toriel looked to Papyrus. The goat monster expressed concern about the skeletons’ actions, his and Sans' both. Actions that dealt with the wolves and Undyne's invaluable assistance. Toriel sighed as expressed each new concern. Her unbiased worries not only for the monsters involved but the citizens who lived on unknowing to the dangers at their doors was a pretty respectable feat to Papyrus, one that shadowed his own in comparison. 

"Your brother must be worried, Papyrus.” Toriel commented quietly "You should check in with him before we continue.” Papyrus smiled at the queen, bowing his head slightly, and stepping off to the side and pulling out his phone.

Seven missed calls, fourteen text messages, and only two weren't from Sans. "Huh, one call from Undyne and a text from Muffet.” Most of Sans’ texts were in caps talking about how rude it was for Papyrus to trick Sans the way he did, a few were simply just "Clear your voicemail, lazybones!” The skeleton chuckled as he wandered around the large room before leaning against a stone pillar and checking his message from Muffet.

"Papyrus, there was a strange... guy? Looking for you this morning. I don't think I've ever seen him though and he didn't look friendly. Be careful okay?"

A strange guy...could it be that thing that attacked the other monster in Waterfall? But if it was how could he know his name, unless he was the reason Papyrus couldn't remember anything. Either way, if he was at Muffet's that meant he was closed to Papyrus’ home which meant he could go after Sans; although, mystery stalker didn't seem to know where Papyrus lived exactly. The skeleton groaned. Boss and Red were with him. Sans should be safe with them and yet Papyrus still found himself worrying.

His phone made a series of chimes as he hit the call button again to return his little brother's call. First one ring then two, Sans would pick up before three. Only this time it got to three, then four, five, and finally the small skeleton's voicemail. The royal hall suddenly felt much smaller as Papyrus stock at his phone. Golden pillars curled around him like a cage, their shadows laughing at him and his concerns.

"Just pick up…” Papyrus grumbled, recalling the number again. He mumbled words to himself at the ringing, jumping as he heard a click "SANS!?!”

"Jeez, what, Papy?!”

Papyrus choked on the lump of air that formed in his throat, falling into another coughing fit.

"Papy! Are you okay!? See! I told you! You should have stayed home.” Papyrus chuckled into the receiver once his coughing cleared up, not even caring that Sans was nagging him just happy to hear his little brother was safe and sound. Sounds of aggravation came from the phone again and Papyrus realized that in his chuckling he was ignoring Sans’ panicking.

“I’m fine, Sans, but hey I want you to go to Undyne’s lab okay?” He said quietly but as calmly as possible. “Just stay outta Snowdin for the day and take the mutts with you.” A growl echoed in from Sans’ side of the call, followed by the sentry shushing who Papyrus assumed to be Boss and rolled his sockets. When Sans returned from calming the ornery wolf he informed his brother that they were in fact already on their way to the labs at the behest of Alphys. The lizard had taken off so quickly that Papyrus didn’t even think to ask about what it was exactly that she had thought of, but if she was telling Sans and Undyne to go to the labs he figured that it wasn’t related to the incident with Muffet or Papyrus’ worries.

Toriel approached slowly from behind, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder as a signal that, if he was okay, she would like to continue their conversation. Papyrus nodded, raising a hand to ask for one more moment to tell his brother good bye.

“Alright, I gotta go bro.”

Papyrus could almost hear the smile on Sans’ face, “Of course! Be careful, Papy! And don’t overwork yourself! We know your lazybones body isn’t used to it!” Sans hung up quickly but Papyrus still felt the smile creep over his face. That was how his brother was supposed to be, a happy mother hen that always worried about Papyrus, or anyone’s, wellbeing.

Which was just another reason for Papyrus to focus on figuring out who exactly was looking for him and what the strange tar-like magic was. His lanky form turned as he spoke to the queen about being ready to continue, but she didn’t move from her spot. 

Her deep maroon eyes stared wide, "Papyrus, you're... I don't know what that is.” Toriel's hand subconsciously rose to her snout just to drop when she realized what she was doing. Papyrus mirrored her actions, feeling the thick substance ooze out of his nasal cavity while giving Toriel a pleading look. "Is that the residue? How did you-”

Papyrus interrupted “I don't know, and that's why I need solve this.”

~~~~

Sans huffed at his phone. Stupid Papyrus and not taking care of himself. Did he think the Magnificent Sans enjoyed worrying about his lazybones self? Okay perhaps he did, but it had always been little things! Never something as drastic as Papyrus having some sort of attack before passing out. Sans continued to grumble about his brother's lack of attention toward his own health, losing track of where he was and shifting to the side. The boat they all sat on teetered at the sudden shift and Sans was close enough to the side to get tossed off.

Undyne lept up in a panic and called out, but Fell was already hanging over the side of the boat, reaching into the water to try and pull Sans up from the murky waters. The boatman looked over his shoulder, the cloak he wore covering most of his face as he sighed and used his magic to halt the boat. Undyne and Red could feel the soft pulse of magic sparking in the air, but it wasn’t until Sans came slowly floating out of the water that they could see the faint two-toned flare of magic beneath the cloak’s hood and sleeves.

“While I love to watch others dance, and a fine dancer you might be, dancing on a boat is danger despite the excellent exercise you see.” Sans blushed, chuckling nervously as he was gently put back into his seat on the boat.

“Sorry, River.” The boatman, River, bowed his head slightly to the apology then turned back to the bow of his vessel to continue their cruise. Fell slapped Sans with his tail, grumbling at the wetness of the fur on his arms and trying desperately to shake himself dry “Fell! Be nice!” The wolf huffed but stopped shaking.

The rest of the trip was quiet aside from River’s singing. Red and Fell leaned against Sans, heads resting in his lap while calm waters beat against the boat, slowly letting the wolves doze off. As the reached the Hotlands and the boat stopped, River kept his head bowed while they exited. Sans and Undyne said their farewells with polite waves and smiles. Fell looked back at the cloaked figure one last time, sockets narrowing at the barely visible face and hands. He did little to repress the growl that formed behind his teeth and even snipped at Sans when the small skeleton tried to get the wolf to move.

River seemed to notice the wolf’s attention on him and gave a barely visible smile, “The man you fear, speaks not like me, no, the man you seek steers clear of me.” Magic sparked into the air again and Fell jumped back keeping his focus on River and River alone “Beware that man, who speaks in hands. Beware the man who comes from other lands.” The wolf only had time to cock his head at the statement before River drifted off on the boat and disappeared into the fog. Sans and Undyne shared an equally confused look as well, but decided that it would be best to try and ignore the strange riddle and press on to the labs, it was likely that Captain Alphys was waiting on them after all. Fell lingered at his spot for a bit longer, white eyelights glaring where the river person had just been and gone, tail twitching agitatedly against the hot stones of the volcanic area. It wasn’t until a shout and a bark pulled at his attention that the large wolf bothered looking away from the still waters, giving one last growl before padded feet carried him quickly after the group.

“It’s about damn time! I thought you guys would get here before…” Alphys paused her ranting to look over Sans “Why are you wet?” The skeleton waved a hand over his face, stating that the reason behind that was not important in the slightest. The lizard gave him an odd look but shrugged, agreeing that it wasn’t important to the task they had before them. Undyne opened the door to her lab quickly and ushered everyone inside. Red immediately jumped on the small desk chair, gripping it tightly as it rolled off into the desk.

Once the door was closed, Sans turned his attention to his captain “Okay, so why are we here Captain?” He hadn’t forgotten about the way Alphys treated him or the wolves but if he was honest he didn’t expect an apology for her actions either. It just wasn’t the lizard’s way, not unless she was absolutely certain that she was wrong.

“I met up with your brother at the castle with the queen, and he reminded me that there are cameras all around the Underground courtesy of Undyne.” Memories of the previous night flashed in Undyne’s mind, instantly reclusing the fish monster away from the wolves that she had grown so attached to. Sans also sneered a bit at the comment, but still attempted to remain respectful toward Alphys so long as she remained civil. “He mentioned seeing something suspicious in Waterfall. I need to see the records from there for last night.” The scientist nodded and stood in front of her controls, setting up one of the many screens to display the Waterfall recordings. 

The feed was staticy, cutting out often for seconds at a time but no matter the fiddling the fish monster did nothing seemed to clear it up.

“S-sorry, that’s the b-best it will do.” her muddled voice apologized as she stared at the floor. Red hopped out of the chair and nudged her back, letting her sit as he stood at her side. All eyes focused up at the screen. Nothing happened for a long time, just the normal monsters playing and returning home as the star stones simply shimmered to light their way. It took about ten minutes for the first thing of interest to happen, a medium build monster stalking through the cavernous halls with his head flicking from side to side and blood dripping down his shrouded body. The monster reached a spot and waited, keeping his ears high in alert.

Sans looked at the screen with wide, shocked sockets “Is that…”

“Shh, something’s coming up!” Alphys hissed, returning her eye to the screen. Sure enough a tall, dark figure appeared in the room though the screen fritzed out before the group could actually see where it had appeared from. Immediately the wolves stiffened at the sight of the monster, whimpering and growling as they backed away from the screen, tails tucked and twitching behind them. “Who in the hell is that?”

Sans tried to calm the wolves but they were inconsolable, snipping and cowering if Sans got too close to them. The fear that had consumed them was soul shattering for the skeleton, the fact that there was nothing he could do to help them even more so. With there being nothing he could do to calm the wolves, Sans turned back to the screen. Papyrus was on scene now, hiding behind one of the many rock formations in the caves while the two figures seemed to be arguing about something.

“Do you have audio, Undyne?” he asked a bit uneasy

The royal scientist clenched her hands slightly “Nor-normally yes, but t-that monster is doing something.” Keys clicked loudly as Undyne tried to work at the recording, doing everything from isolating the ambient sounds to flat out raising the volume, but the same gargled sounds blared through the speakers. Alphys resisted the urge to slam her hand on the keys, partially because she knew that was one of the few things that quite possibly set Undyne off.

Instead she groaned and watched the scene unfold. The smaller, cloaked monster got abused by the towering one and Papyrus just sat there and allowed it to happen. It made her sick. To think someone under her employment would allow something so despicable to happen to an innocent bystander...it was an issue she would have to address later.

A broken sob brought her from her thoughts “P-papy?” Alphys refocused just in time to see Papyrus fighting off the other monster, and failing miserably. She noticed its body, how it was tar-like just as Papyrus had warned but the ferocity of its attack was gut wrenching. Whatever the monster was it had pinned the older skeleton with ease, coiling around his body while the strange substance that made up its body seeped over and through Papyrus’ bones. They couldn’t hear it but the visual of Papyrus physically trying to rip the monster off of himself was enough for Alphys put herself in his place. 

The feed cut out right as Papyrus teleported away, leaving nothing in the cave that wasn’t there before the altercation. Each monster looked at each other with different expressions: fear, anger, confusion. As much as they wished it wasn’t the case, the recording didn’t give them much to go on other than two monster were assaulted and they just so happened to know one of them.

“What do we do?” Sans asked quietly “There’s some...some THING out there we have to do something, right?! Captain?!” Red whimpered at the pain Sans felt, his own fear still having too much of a hold for him to do much else. Alphys pinched the upper bridge to her snout and sighed heavily, nothing ever seemed to be easy anymore.

A loud ring echoed in the lab.

“What?” The captain snipped as she was just not in the mood for more irritations. “WHAT?!” They all jumped at the sudden explosive volume of Alphys’ voice, unsure of who was calling her and why “Then why the hell are you calling me?! Assemble the guards! NOW!” The call was hung up violently and the stout lizard rushed to the door.

“A-Alphys! What happened?!” Undyne cried out. Alphys punched the door control and turned her angered glare toward the fish monster, pupil shrunk to a tiny slit.

The words “The queen’s under attack!” booming from her throat just as the door shut behind her.


	11. A Whole New World

Sans didn’t want to believe that this was happening, it couldn’t be happening. As soon as Alphys had left the room, Undyne immediately swapped over to the few cameras she had located near and in the castle. There was nothing at first, just the typical passerby monsters that frequently visited the area for whatever reason but after fast forwarding only a few minutes they saw what was most definitely the culprit.

 

“That’s...that’s Bombi!” Sans said with slight hesitation. It was indeed the guardsman but his body was tattered and beaten, covered in the same tar like substance that had latched itself onto Papyrus in the video before. His movements were erratic and twitchy. Blobs of the tar were left behind after each step, sizzling in the air before bubbling out of existence.

 

Undyne mumbled her theories of what the tar could be but Sans wasn’t hearing them. He rewound the video and watched it again and again. Whatever this thing was...it had attacked his brother, his family. 

 

“S-sans! W-w-where are you g-going!?” cried Undyne as the sentry shoved himself away from the console and toward the door. His fist smashed against the button but large furry arms grabbed hold of him and pulled him away. Sans screamed for Fell to let him go, banging his fists against the large wolf’s arms or pulling at the digits to try and ease them off of him.

 

Fell growled at Sans’ defiance. His grip tightened the more the skeleton struggled, the gruff barks from the wolf growing more and more agitated as it continued.

 

“Let me go Fell!” he screamed “What if I stopped you from saving Red!?” The large monster froze, his grip laxing just enough for Sans to squirm from his hold and bolt out the door. Fell stared at the floor with a deep scowl across his fanged mouth. Red came up beside him with a gentle nuzzle against his leg, his whiny yips getting the attention of the large wolf and Undyne.

 

The scientist said something under her breath again. She needed to help somehow but she didn’t know what she could do with the little information she had. Feeling the desperation crawl up her back, Undyne turned to the wolves with a small spark of determination in her eyes.

 

“Please...protect them. Until I can figure something out, please protect them.” Red and Fell looked at the royal scientist then each other. There was hesitance on both their faces, Fell’s more than Red’s. He had everything he wanted. Red was back with him and he was safe, why should he risk his happiness for the happiness of these skeletons that he barely knew?

 

Because Papyrus and Sans did that for him…

 

Red felt the shift in Fell’s stance, yipping confidently at him then moving to the door. Fell made a groaning noise but followed behind Red with ease. Undyne wiped the small tears that formed at her eyes, she was scared. Horrified, even. Never in her life of science had she dealt with something such as this and if the fear factor wasn't enough, Undyne's lack of knowledge on how to deal with the situation was an even worse feeling!

 

She wanted to scream. She wanted to slam her fists against the console that replayed all those horrible images of that were the precursors to the pain her friends were in. But that wouldn't do anything. 

 

It wouldn't help.

 

It wouldn't make the problem go away.

 

Hell it wouldn't even make her feel better.

 

For now she had to keep a leveled head and do whatever it was that she could to help. Whether it be watching and rewatching her security footage again and again until something stood out or delving into the disorganized chaos that were her notes from years and years ago to see if something with even a fraction of similarities ever happened.

 

**~~~~**

 

There was a ringing in Papyrus’ skull, sharp and piercing like the feedback from one of Napstaton’s sound checks.

 

What had even happened? He and Queen Toriel had been talking about what to do about the sudden black residue and the next thing he knew he was on his back with a screaming skull. There was no explosion, no sudden spike in magical energy. Nothing that would have warned either of them that an attack was pending.

 

“Papyrus, are you alright?” Toriel coughed from somewhere beside him. The skeleton made a loud groan, not quite words but enough to tell Toriel that he was still alive. Torial began to sit up on one knee, paw over her face as she continued coughing. Papyrus rose extra slow. He was wobbly on his feet and the screaming in his skull only intensified now that he wasn’t laying down.

 

Sockets slowly opened, adjusting to the blaring light that came into the castle hall, the gold not helping in the slightest. 

 

Before him stood what once was the wholesome form of Guardsman Bombi, but now the black residue consumed much of his body. Ooze slipped down his limbs, the rabbit monster’s pale soul forced out of his body and wrapped in thin strings. Tears struck down the rabbit’s face as he approached.

 

“Stand down, Guardsman!” the queen roared, summoning her staff in a stream of fire. Bombi whimpered at the command. His ooze covered arm rose slowly, fingers spread wide with his palm leveled to Toriel’s own pointed staff.

 

Bombi cried out as he fought against the ooze’s hold, “N-n-no! Stop it! Let go of me!” his hand trembled as he fought against himself. The ooze seemed to bubble in response. “You, you gotta get outta here! Please!” Papyrus trembled at the liveliness of the ooze, how it bubbled angrily whenever Bombi resisted it.

 

It could have been him. It still could BE him.

 

“C’mon now bud, take it easy.” He said as calmly as he could “We wanna help you but we have to know who did this to you.” The ooze tightened around the rabbit monster’s soul, magic collecting around his extended arm. Papyrus tried to calm him down again but he was no longer in control. The ooze flowed upward and darkened out the monster’s face, slipping down his neck and chest where his soul rested.

 

His eyes were now white sockets on the black canvas that was once his face as was his twitching mouth. His hands trembled against his head for a moment before he turned his delirious smile back to Toriel and Papyrus. The goat queen gave the monster a sad gaze.

 

Her disappointed voice was barely audible as her staff rose to the possessed guard before her “I’m sorry, Bombi.”

 

**CLANK!**

 

The door to the hall slammed open with a burst of lightning. Axes shot forward, severing the strands of ooze that connected Bombi to the floor, burning trails up his consumed body.

 

“Stop right there, maggot.” Alphys said with a grin. The possessed monster cried out as the electricity burned the oozing tar off of his body and revealed his body beneath. Papyrus caught a glimpse of the tinged, discolored white fur that matched Bombi’s long ears.

 

“We can burn it off.” he mumbled to himself, just loud enough for Toriel to hear. She turned dark eyes to the struggling monster. There was a small flash and a fireball was shot out from the end of the queen’s staff, searing off more of tar from Bombi. Papyrus silently thanked the queen for being as quick and careful as she was. Though Alphys’ brute force was the cause of the discovery, Papyrus couldn’t rely on her to actually remove the tar from her guardsman’s body.

 

Toriel stated a command to her captain: subdue the guardsman without hurting him. The lizard cocked her head to the side and her manic grin dropped a few notches but as the loyal guardswoman she was, she followed her queen’s instructions without much other hesitation. Lightning crackled around her hand then shot forward, wrapping itself around Bombi and locking his limbs.

 

“Please, we truly just wish to help you.” Toriel’s voice chimed out in low, soothing tones. Mothering and soft to not make Bombi act on his natural instincts and attack them again. The rabbit mumbled fright filled words about something hurting him if he didn't complete his task. Papyrus was sure he heard the words “wolves” somewhere in the crazed mumblings but there wasn’t anything that he could do about that right now, the wolves were with Sans and Undyne keeping them safe while Papyrus dealt with this.

 

But if Alphys was here…then it was likely that Sans was…

 

“PAPYRUS!”

 

Right behind…

 

Sans barreled through the opened door like a blue wrecking ball with the wolves both right on his tail. Boss rose up in front of Sans and Red, his teeth clanking together and snarling at the imprisoned, tar covered monster.

 

Papyrus felt his soul clench, “Sans, you shouldn’t be here.” the tone was low with a soft hint of frustration embedded in it. Why was it so impossible to keep Sans out of these situations?!

 

“Neither should you yet you’re still here!” The younger snapped, his cyan blue eyes flaring from behind the large wolf’s frame. Papyrus argued that he was the older brother, that it was his job to make sure that Sans was always safe but the little sentry didn’t buy the statement. “And what am I supposed to do when you’re gone?! When you do nothing to take care of yourself how am I supposed to just sit there and let you put yourself in danger for me!?” 

 

Papyrus stumbled over his words as Sans continued to pelt on and on about how Papyrus was selfish for not talking about what really happened in the Waterfall caves, especially now that he saw what Bombi looked like.

 

“What if that happened to you, Papy!? What would I have done then?!” The older brother wondered if Sans knew he was crying at this point but judging from the angry glares that he was getting Papyrus figured he did and really did not care at the moment either.

 

Toriel and Alphys sighed, turning away from the ongoing argument between the skele-bros to take on the more important task at hand. With Bombi subdued by the paralytic magic of the captain, Toriel approached the monster with slow motions until she could hover her large paw over his tainted soul. Everything slowed as she encased her hand in a thin layer of fire and pulsed it toward the corruption. For some time the only thing that filled the room was the echoing arguments of the brother’s but after a while of the strange treatment from the goat monster Bombi began to cry out.

 

As the ooze burned away against his soul, the rabbit’s distress spiked but without being able to move away from the danger all he could do was scream. Alphys scoffed at the fears of her subordinate, though honestly she did feel sorry for him. Bombi hadn’t been in the guard for very long and even then he mostly kept to himself.

 

Hell, Alphys had never even seen the rabbit monster’s full face before. It was always obscured by either his helmet or some kind of mask. Why in the stars had he even done that? It wasn’t like the royal guard had some ruling where you had to keep your face covered or anything remotely similar to that...unless…

 

“Why is your face always covered?” The volume in her voice was oddly tamed for what everyone was used to, not that Toriel minded. In fact, this was the prefered volume of the captain’s voice. Naturally in his state, Bombi wasn’t able to answer but the question did register in his mind. He turned panicked, white sockets to Alphys, his agape mouth twitching as he tried to talk though no words would form.

 

The residue had been burned away from most of his soul now and the large patches that covered his face and throat were quickly flaking away and falling to the floor. There was a deep snarl behind them, shocking Alphys to spin around just as Fell was charging them, magic flaring from his red eyes and leaving thin streaks in the air.

 

“Queen Toriel, look out!” her battle axe was raised but not fast enough to halt the wolf’s advances. Fell took one last step then lept over the huddled monsters, landing with a heavy thud behind them. Again and again his paws slammed on the ground, emitting a loud squishing sound followed by sizzling. Red came up behind Fell, following the motions of his brother.

 

“What in the…”

 

Sans and Papyrus turned their heads from each other to look at the wolves, blue dusting over Sans’ cheeks as he watched the wolves with increasing embarrassment.

 

“Fell! Red! What in the stars are you doing?!” he shouted in mock despair to hide the embarrassment he actually felt. Red made a small whimper of a noise before returning to his frantic clawing at the floor. “Stop, bad wolf! You’re scratching the tile!” The small skeleton rushed over to push the wolves away. A loud sloshing noise halted him in his tracks.

 

The black residue let out a light screech before sizzling out of existence. Sans looked at the wolves again, realizing that the strange substance was trying to run away from the claws crashing down around it. Papyrus rushed over when he heard Sans’ yelp of surprise, resisting the urge to blast the remnants of the sludge into oblivion. The small skeleton was ripped away from the sludge just as Fell’s paw slammed down, releasing its death squeal then sizzling away like before.

 

During all of this, the ooze over Bombi’s soul had been cleansed and the rabbit’s tinged fur became visible over the course of his body. Toriel smoothed a gentle hand over the tuft of fur on his head, his bloodshot red eyes deep with bags as exhaustion quickly began to take over.

 

“Your majesty…”

 

“I know.” Toriel interrupted, seeing the stern look on the lizard monster’s face “Now is not the time to question the similarities. All this did was confirm our suspicions.” There was a tension that fell over the group. Papyrus remembered the conversation he had with Alphys a while back, about the ferals being the same as monsters in their own underground but slightly different. His sockets barely had to roam over the now unconscious body of Bombi to see the monster he was a copy of.

 

The skeletons walked over with the same contemplative looks on their faces. Toriel cradled the monster in her arms as she rose to her feet.

 

“So, guess we’ll be talking to Undyne?” Papyrus asked with a sigh. The queen took another look at the monster in her arms, nodding while she turned away.

 

“Yes. We will need to deal with this swiftly for the safety of all.” Alphys, Sans, and the wolves nodded their heads, turning away from their queen. They would need to band together to fight off this attack and Papyrus knew that no matter what he did now Sans was going to be involved. 

 

But he also knew better than to fight it, “Then to Undyne’s labs we go.”

 

**~~~~**

 

Papyrus kept to himself the entire way back to the labs. He wasn’t sure how he should feel about all of this. Sans had seen too much now, there was no way to keep his little brother from getting involved. Everything that happened at the castle tonight was a bit of a socket opener for him today. There was little to no doubt that Bombi was the monster that was attacked in the caves, but what was getting to Papyrus the most was the way the monster looked when he had attacked them.

 

White, lifeless eyes with an almost ear to ear grin. Even if Papyrus didn’t know him very well, he knew this wasn’t Guardsman Bombi. And he also knew that so long as this black sludge or whatever it actually was remained in him that it was likely that the same thing would happen to him.

 

It was only a matter of time.

 

Their task now was not any easier. Alphys wanted to do a full scale assault on the Snowdin woods where the ferals seemed to be coming from, but, thankfully, Sans had somehow managed to talk her down from it. Instead, the small guard to be had proposed a very different method.

 

“It shouldn’t be difficult. Fell and Red lived in the woods before we took them in, but they had to come from somewhere.” Papyrus smiled at the maturity of his brother’s proposal, though the wolves were not appreciating it much. It was obvious that they did not want to return to where ever they came from as they growled and yipped at the suggestion. Boss even going so far as to push Red behind him and growl at the group of monsters. Papyrus leaned up from his lounged position, ready to intervene when Sans stepped forward. 

 

Arms wide with a smile, Sans reassured the wolves that they would be safe and that they weren’t being forced back to the place that they fled from. Red furrowed his brow in question while Boss scowled at the skeleton, his gruff bark grating against Sans’ skull in loud waves.

 

“T-they wouldn’t a-ask if it wasn’t absolutely impo-portant.” Undyne chimed in quietly. Alphys nodded with her trademark, half crazed grin and Papyrus sighed. Now he felt obligated to say something.

 

“Think of it this way,” the click of his lighter sounded out a few times before the sparks caught and he was able to light his cigarette “If you take us to wherever you’re from then we can make sure you never go back there again.” That wasn’t completely, if at all, true but it did the trick. Both wolves’ ears perked up and Red gave Papyrus a big toothy grin. It still took a few more minutes of Sans cooing at Boss to get him fully on board but it was set, the wolf brothers were going to be their guides into whatever trouble awaited them.

 

Papyrus gave one last look to Alphys, the serious look in her face a bit reassuring for the unknown to come. 

 

“Well before we go on a hopeless mission with danger lurking around every corner, I am going to Muffet’s.” Papyrus smiled “Sans, want anything?” The little skeleton shrugged then shook his head, receiving the same motion from his brother before he blipped out of the lab and in front of his favorite bar for what he hoped wasn’t going to be his last drink.


	12. Allow Me To Be Your Host

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a glitch in the system

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update and the transition chapter, nevertheless I hope you guys enjoy

It had taken a days before the group was ready to for the journey through the woods. Most of the delays had been caused by Papyrus, intentionally, and Alphys. The older skeleton was adamant about the captain staying behind in case something happened with Bombi and the queen, the fear of whatever the black magic residue did to the guardsman still fresh in his memory, but Alphys was spearheading the hunt. At least in her own mind.

 

Undyne sided with Papyrus more often than not. As much as she knew Alphys’ strength would aid the group’s crusade, she was also the guard captain and her first duty was to Queen and Country. It had taken days and days of almost nonstop arguing between the three for Alphys to finally give in and agree to hold down the fort. 

 

Sans didn’t mind the delay much. It allowed Fell and Red to fully recover from their injuries. Sans spent much of his time training with the wolves to stay active while the others bickered. Fell was much more interested in the training than Red was, but even the smaller wolf got into it if he was rewarded well enough.

 

“We’re gonna have to bring lots of mustard with us aren’t we, Red?” Sans asked with a large smile as the wolf sprawled out along his lap, his red tongue licking over his maw to catch any remnants of the spicy condiment. Fell gruffed behind them, readjusting a little so that the small skeleton was a bit more comfortable against him. Sans snuggled into the wolf’s side, reaching over to Fell’s head and gently scratching behind the wolf’s ears.

 

“You know you don't need to go tomorrow.” Papyrus said from the far end of the room, his hands tucked deeply in his pockets “In fact,  Alphys would probably need your help here.” Sans sighed and looked over his shoulder to stare at his older brother, both having contemplative looks on their faces.

 

How long were they going to be at opposite ends on this matter? Papyrus was constantly trying to “protect” Sans and Sans was constantly trying to prove that he didn't need it. 

 

Except against that feral bear monster...and Captain Alphys…

 

Sans shook his head, those were different! He had held his own against the bear for a long time before Fell showed up! And he stood toe to toe with Captain Alphys, something most monsters wouldn’t even try to do. They might not have turned out how he wanted, but Sans was proud of himself nonetheless.

 

“No...I’m going, Papyrus.” Sans said sternly “Whatever attacked Bombi attacked you too. Not to mention Fell and Red. I can’t just let that slide.” Papyrus vaulted his lanky frame over the couch, landing back first with his feet by his little brother’s head.

 

“I get that bro, but aren’t you scared?” he questioned with genuine concern “This isn’t going to be easy Sans. The wolves are gonna be leading me into stars know what, you don’t need to be part of that.” Fell thumped his large tail, eyeing Red as Papyrus spoke. There was a slight, possibly begrudging, sense of agreement between the two of them.

 

Neither wanted their brothers getting hurt anymore.

 

But, as always, Sans was persistent in his involvement and while Papyrus hated the idea of what happened to Bombi happening to his little bro, he was proud of him for standing up for what he felt was right. 

 

Papyrus chuckled and swung his long legs over Fell’s prone form so he could stand. His arms stretched over his head as he let out a yawn. The sound caught the attention of Red, who yipped excitedly and jumped into the awaiting skeleton’s arms. Fell eyed his brother suspiciously while Sans smiled, knowing that his brother going to bed meant he won their little debate.

 

“Night Papy! Night Red!” He called out as Papyrus carried the little wolf up the stairs, barely lifting a hand to wave goodnight to his brother before disappearing behind his door. “Well, guess we should go to sleep to, Fell. We have a big day tomorrow!” As Sans pushed himself into a standing position, Fell cocked his head slightly at the retreating monster before slowly picking himself up and walking to the makeshift bed he and Red had been sharing. When Sans noticed the wolf moving to curl up in the corner bed, he called him over, telling him that he could sleep in his room instead of by himself.

 

Fell sneered at the offer, flicking his tail and turning his back to Sans as he laid down on the lumpy pile of pillows and blankets. The skeleton didn’t try and fight the rejection to his offer. Part of him figured that Fell would be against any form of outward comfort unless it benefitted Red as well, not that it bothered him much. In fact, Sans liked to akin the wolf brothers’ relationship to his and Papyrus’. 

 

“Mweh heh, suit yourself, Fell. G’night!” Sans skipped up the stairs to quickly get ready for bed. It took him a frustratingly long time to actually get settled enough to feel his body slowly shut, his last feeling in the waking world being the heavy dip on his mattress and the light swishes of a familiar, fluffy tail.

 

**~~~~**

 

The next morning blew by in a flash for the skeleton household. Sans found himself anxious and shaking as Alphys broke down their mission objective. A part of him couldn’t believe that he was actually doing this, another part was so tightly wound that his bones felt ready to split. The mission was simple, find out where the ferals and the strange black goop was coming from and, if possible keep them from spreading any further into Snowdin.

 

“Oh, and here.” Alphys handed Sans a small messenger bag “Undyne wants you to try and get a sample of that black crap so she can do...whatever with it. But it’s not worth your lives so don’t do something stupid, got it?!” Papyrus flinched at the sudden yell but kept his attention forward. The trees went on and on, losing their color to the shades of darkness as they stretched throughout the forest. The only thing that could make the sight more ominous to the older brother was a perfectly timed boom of thunder.

 

Sans and Alphys gave each other a guard’s salute while Papyrus gave a simple wave. Fell took the lead as the dredged through the heavier snow that resided deeper in the forest. Sans felt his body lock up and his soul freeze when a familiar rock came into view. Red whimpered beside him as they both shared a glance at the perch that marked the wolf brothers being reunited through injury.

 

“You okay, Sans?” The small skeleton nodded and picked up his pace. The sounds of monsters in the distance echoed against the trunks of the massive trees, leaving the skeletons to feel stalked. Red and Fell snapped and growled at the shadows to detour any would be attackers but Papyrus still felt anxiety sit in his bones.

 

Everything looked the same.

 

Everything...was the same.

 

“Boss, we’ve been through here.” Papyrus called out. A puzzled look crossed over Fell’s face. His head swiveled around, ears perked high as he sought out anything that might give him some clue to this being a place already visited. When none came up he thumped his tail against a nearby tree and glared at the skeleton “What’s wrong bud? Sense of direction a bit shot?”  The large wolf snapped his fangs at Papyrus then continued on. The older brother sighed as he pulled out his cigarettes and followed.

 

Papyrus knew they had been there, whether the wolf wanted to admit it or not. Again and again they passed by familiar scenery, whether it be trees that were marked a certain way that made them unique or the small, powdered shrubbery that was aligned in set patterns, they were going in circles.

 

Sans spoke up this time “That's the rock from earlier.” and sure enough, there the scarred and stained rock stood in it's ominous glory. Fell made a noise of disbelief. Shock laden over his features as he took off in a trot, leaving the others to scramble and play catch up. “Fell! Fell wait up!” But the wolf didn't listen. His agitated pace got faster and faster as the scene began to repeat itself until his paws dug into the ground to bring his body to a skidding stop.

 

All the brothers shared a grumble of worry. 

 

“I don’t like this.” Papyrus commented quietly

 

Sans nodded in agreement, “Y-yeah something weird is going on…” The air became tense and thick. Threads of magic could be felt like ribbons over bones, dancing and caressing them as it travelled by. The natural, positive energy; however, was completely stripped from it. “Did you…?”

 

“Yeah...we need to move.” Papyrus wasn't sure really where they were going to go since the forest seemed to be looping them in frustrating circles but whatever this magical pressure was, it was unsettling and more than likely hostile.

 

A noise groaned out, low in both tone and actual volume. A pain filled moan that held an eerie sense of loathing interlaced. Ignoring the sou9nd at first, the group pushed on, fighting through the increasing pressure from earlier until the moan sounded out again only much, much closer than before.

 

“Oh...tch...what do you want?” asked a quiet voice. The wolves snapped their heads around toward where the voice came from. Fell’s eyes flared as he snarled and flexed his paws. Red crouched low to the floor, eyes trained forward. “Oh...oh...you shouldn't be here, ya know.”

 

Sans cocked his hip and crossed his arms over his chest, “Well that's rude, why can't we be here?” the small owner of the voice shifted in the shadows, but still kept himself mostly hidden.

 

“I wasn’t talking to you.” from the cover of trees a small ghost floated out slowly, red lined eyes stained with what seemed to be dark red tears. “I...meant them…” Fluffy ears perked and heads cocked to the side. The wolf brothers turned to each other then back to the little black and red ghost slumped against the floor. Optimism bloomed in Sans’ chest. This ghost was the first monster they had encountered that was sane enough to speak, and to make matters even better he knew the wolves! 

 

The little skeleton couldn't believe the string of good luck! But as the positivity overflowed and Sans let out a jubilant laugh, the ghost scoffed.

 

“They...shouldn't be here.” he droned again, eyeing the wolves with a sharp gaze “If he comes back...oh...he’ll start up again.” Papyrus stepped forward with his cigarette almost falling out from his teeth.

 

“Who will start up again?” There was a growl in his words that was accented by a deep snarl from Fell. The little ghost shot his glance between the two looming figures but gave them barely any attention. Golden orange flared from Papyrus’ left socket and the filter from his cigarette shredding between his canines “I’m not in the mood for your deflection, bedsheet. W H O I S I T!?” Sans pushed Papyrus away from the still unmoved ghost, snapping at his older brother for treating the monster so rudely. Fell made a gruff, growling sound as he moved closer but Sans raised his hand quickly to stop the motion. The black and red ghost turned over to Red, staring at the skele-wolf with lifeless eyes. Red met his gaze with his own, confused and unsettled.

 

“Oh...I guess neither of you remember me...figures…” slowly his body floated up and showed off his true, surprisingly long figure that was just a bit shorter than Sans. “You’re...both just like him. I...I HATE him.” Before Papyrus could react, Fell tackled him to the floor, away from the spikes that shot up from the floor. The puddle of tears that the ghost had shed before their arrival forming the attack that had almost skewered Papyrus. His saviour straightened him out as he tried to play off the concern by snapping his jaws at the attacker, but the older skeleton was at his wit’s end.

 

This mission. The goop. The secrets.

 

He couldn’t handle it anymore.

 

“P-Papyrus!” The magic formed in an instant, the sudden flash blinding Red and Sans for a moment before their sockets could widen at the weapon in front of them. Sans had seen Papyrus’ blasters before, which were menacing enough when they held charges in them, but this...Sans had never seen this thing before. At the head was the same ursarian skull that his blasters were shaped after, only now instead of being a vacant mouth, a golden orange blade of magic formed from its wide set jaws. At the base of the skull, a spine formed out with 4 sets up floating ribs just below the skull before the vertebrae smooth down so Papyrus could wield the uncanny weapon. “Brother what IS that!?”

 

But Papyrus didn’t answer. His eyes never left the ghost cowering beneath him as he allowed the back of the blade creased into the ghost’s sheet like body.

 

“Y-you can’t kill a ghost..we’re...we’re incorporeal.” his wide eyes trembled with tears forming at the bottom, a normal clear color instead of the blood red they were previously. 

 

A cruel smile unbefitting of the normally easy going skeleton “Good thing this is a magic weapon then huh?” The scythe pushed harder into the ghost’s neck until he was forced to the side by Red and Sans. Red sunk his teeth into Papyrus’ wrist, enough to latch on without hurting the skeleton much, if at all. The look that Papyrus had was not his own.

 

Just like it had with Bombi, the black magical residue had begun to seep around the cartilage between his vertebrae and dripped heavily down the front of his hoodie. He noticed as well and deconstructed the weapon, stepping away from everyone to clear his head. 

 

“Papy?” He didn’t feel like himself. The anger and hatred he felt for the ghost was so...unnatural for him. And...that scythe...he had never summoned something like that before. “Papyrus are you okay? You’re scaring me.” Papyrus met his little brother’s gaze and shrugged. The goop began to sizzle and scream the way it had when it flaked off of Bombi and the emotions Papyrus felt eased away, leaving a strange sense of  emptiness in his chest. Red was the closest and gently pawed at him, bumping his head against his dangling hand in a comforting motion.

 

Papyrus gave the wolf a gently pat then moved his hand over his eyes. Fell had kept his growls and sneers at the quivering ghost but his form was far less tense than it was before the episode.

 

“I...need some air.” He slurred quietly “My lungs feel a bit dry.” Sans didn't have the heart to remind his brother that he didn't have lungs, nodding and reminding him not to go too far in case they get looped again instead of the normal reprimands. At mention of the looping, the little ghost perked up. While tears still filled his eyes, only now mixing with what Sans guessed to be some form of blood that gave them the grotesque red color, the ghost seemed a bit more approachable now that he realized his life wasn't in danger.

 

“Oh...you're caught in the loop? H-he must of done that...again.” Sans looked over at the ghost, urging him to continue “Well...he can...bend this place. He's done it before. Oh...he must be scared of you.” 

 

“Can you lead us out of the loop?” Sans asked. He kept his tone civil and polite, just because this ghost wasn't being friendly didn't mean he had to return the gesture. When the monster shied away from the request, Sans put on a bright smile and reassured him “We aren't holding your actions against you. We just need to find the monster responsible for all of this.” The ghost’s eyes shifted between both brothers, his tense visage the only indicator needed to tell that the ghost really didn’t want to lead them anywhere.

 

The alternative; however, was having Papyrus’ blade  pressed to his “throat”, and that was just not something he wanted to go through if it was avoidable. With all four sets of eyes on him, the ghost gave Sans the smallest nod before shaking the tears from his eyes and slowly floating off for them to follow.

 

“Hey bud,” Papyrus called out from the back of the group, halting its progress “What’s your name? Assuming you have one.” The little ghost rolled his eyes and turned back to his forward face direction, continuing to lead them.

 

“...Napstablook…”

 

Sans and Papyrus froze. Both brothers look at each other then back to Napstablook. Sans had passed it off as a coincidence with Guardsman Bombi and Nicey from NTT Resort, but this? This couldn’t have been a coincidence. 

 

“Brother...there’s no way he’s related to Happsta...is there?” Sans kept himself quiet so he wouldn’t alert the ghost to their topic. Papyrus gave a hefty sigh as he lit another cigarette, taking a long drag and exhaling it slowly.

  
“Not sure, but I bet we’ll find out soon enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Thank you to Buttercupstricksntricks on tumblr for allowing me to use her scythe idea, the design was altered to fit the story but still thank you so very much!
> 
> Take care everyone.


	13. Home Away From Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Down, down, down the rabbit hole we go

The longer they followed Napstablook, the more Sans felt uneasy about their mission as a whole. There were only so many monsters with "blook” in their names, especially ghost monsters, yet he was here following one that not only shared that strange combination but shared the same name as the TV. star Napstaton who was originally part of the "blook" family.

 

So where did this little ghost fit in? He looked absolutely nothing like any of the ghosts Sans had seen running, or floating in their case, around the Tea Gardens where the ghost family grew varies tea leaves to sell to towns and merchants. This ghost did not seem like the farming type, not to Sans at least.

 

"Hey, Blookey,” Papyrus’ raspy voice cut through the sounds of snow crunching footsteps "Where exactly are you taking us?” The sheet like appearance that made up Napstablook's body fluttered like a shiver just shot through him. His sodden eyes shifted to look at their surroundings and realized why the skeleton was confused, though he refused to answer him and continued floating on, hoping they would just continue to follow instead of talk. The taller skeleton ground his teeth slightly and Sans caught the light flash of magic gathering in his eye. A gentle hand was placed on the crook of his brother’s elbow to calm him.

 

Papyrus sighed at his brother’s gesture. Part of him did feel genuinely bad that his temper was so low with the lonely monster, but something about him just didn’t sit well. His magic felt malignant in nature and the fact that Sans was here with him only added to the older brother’s nerves. Sure he knew he should at least try to be respectful so the ghost wouldn’t lead them into a trap that spelt their doom, but it was pretty hard to do that when you were already leading yourself into one in the first place.

 

“Ooooh...I guess we made it out...cool.” Napstablook droned as the trees widened into a clearing, opening up a walkway for the skeletons and any passerby monsters. Sans let out a small cheer while Papyrus scanned their surroundings. There wasn’t a single monster in sight...or on the way here, besides the pain in the ass ghost. He walked a bit passed the clearing, not following the group at all. Fell made a small noise towards him but Papyrus directed the wolf to keep an eye on Sans and Red.

 

This was all too weird. Everything was far too different yet far too similar as well. The wind carried slowly and heavily through the trees in a low rumbling howl, trees were worn dead and brittle with their branches creaking at even the slightest amount of pressure applied to them. But none of that quite prepared him for what his sockets dropped on.

 

Just as tall as the one he was used to leaning against whilst skirting his own responsibilities, a large door sat engraved into the stony mountain face. Distal phalanges pressed gently against the feature. 

 

“If I knock would he be there?” No, probably not but Papyrus couldn’t help himself. His bones curled into themselves, making a fist, and knocking. There was no sound from beyond the door. No cry or groan or even the typical “get off my lawn!”. It was just...silent. Papyrus felt a twinge of pain in his soul, did that mean the man behind the door was gone? He might not have ever seen him but their countless days spent together talking about various relaxing topics still formed a type of bond between them.

 

At least it did for Papyrus.

 

Sans’ distant voice called out. He didn’t realize how far away his brother had gotten by now. Was he really standing here, moping about the man behind the door being potentially gone for so long? Evidently so. He gave a long look to the door before pulling out a cigarette and resting it between his teeth, unlit.

 

“See ya soon, bud.”

 

Sans’ worried words broke through his mental veil “Papyrus! Is everything okay?” Knowing Sans couldn’t see him, Papyrus smiled and nodded his head before turning on his heels and following the echoing sounds of his little bro’s voice to rejoin the group. Fell flicked him with his tail and clinked his teeth in annoyance at how long they had to wait for the skeleton to return from his little sightseeing adventure, but Papyrus just shrugged his shoulders and lit his cigarette. Not having a care in the world.

 

Napstablook rolled his eyes at the skeleton’s lax expression, mumbling warnings that his attitude would end up costing them dearly in the end, but remaining silent when told to repeat himself.

 

Red began to slowly drift ahead of the group, muddled emotions flickering across his face. The little wolf’s ears laid flat against his skull, pulled back in jittering uncertainty. He twitched from side to side, jumping at every tiny sound he heard or move he thought he saw. Fell nudged him with his hip while wrapping his large, fluffy tail around him in a protective gesture, allowing the smaller of the two to hide away for comfort.

 

“Tsk, now you want to be worried?” Napstablook asked in a sharp tone “You...mutts could-!”

 

“Stop it! There’s no need to be rude!” Sans interrupted, stepping himself between Fell and Blookey, mostly for Blookey’s sake “I don’t know what happened to you or why  you treat everyone like they wronged somehow but we have done nothing but be nice to you! The least you could do is treat us like normal monsters!” The sheet like ghost trembled at Sans’ raised voice, his eyes immediately watering. Guilt ripped through the younger skeleton as Napstablook started crying and trembling in fear. He rose his hands slowly to try and comfort him but each step Sans took toward him, Napstablook fluttered back.

 

A mixture of tears and blood poured from his eyes, “S-s-stay away. Please.” Sans really didn’t mean to scare him so bad. His attitude toward the group was just so crude and unjustified he lost his temper. Of course he didn’t mean to but it happened to even the calmest of monsters not that the knowledge of that helped the skeleton feel better for his actions.

 

“Oh...Blookey, I’m sorry.”

 

“Sans, look out!” The sheer panic in his brother’s voice made his joints lock. Everything felt like it slowed as he turned his head just enough to see the massive, shadowed figure lunging at him. His inner voice screamed at him,  _ Move! Move or you’ll die! _ , but Sans couldn’t. Images of the bear shot through his mind. His first real encounter with a feral monster, the unnatural savagery it had from the way its magic enhanced its strength and his broken, uncultured speech. The past emotions from those memories surge forth and encompassed his body, pinning him to his spot with fear.

 

A strong tug pulled Sans back, dumping him on his tailbone while Fell lunged over him. The large wolf’s fangs sunk into the jugular of the ambushing monster. They bodies crumbled to the floor in a flurry of fur and snow, snarls and yelps echoing out as claws and teeth clashed together. Papyrus ran to Sans’ side, Red had snagged the smaller skeleton’s handkerchief to pull him down for Fell to safely jump over him, a gesture the older brother was more than happy for . He did a look over to make sure Sans was okay then pulled him up and away from the tussle. A pointed glare was given to the ghost who teetered in his hovering state, eyes still pouring tears. Papyrus didn’t give a damn that he was scared, his actions almost got his brother hurt, or worse.

 

The attacking monster was a large canine monster. Pure white fur poked out of tattered armor, speckled with traces of blood and dust. Like the bear, putrid smelling saliva dripped from his black lips, tinted teeth snapping at Fell while his massive paws gave him a hard swipe to his ribs. Snow exploded out from Fell’s skidding body and blinded the attacking monster. Red saw and opportunity open up, jumping onto the canine’s back and locking his jaws around the crook of the beast’s neck, his momentum carrying him across to shred the skin open. The massive dog monster let out a howl of pain and flopped into the snow with his forepaws covering the lacerations in his neck.

 

It tossed and turned a moment then got on all fours, dark eyes glaring at Fell who positioned himself the same way. They sized each other up, the attacker winning in the bulk department, and released deep, guttural growls. The sound of armor clinking and clanking paired with thunderous footfall, snow kicking up with every step.

 

“Great, stop!” Sans shouted just before the wolves clashed. The attacker stopped and turned to face Sans, his ears flat in confusion. “That...that’s your name isn’t it? You’re friends called you Greater Dog didn’t they?” Great snapped his jaws at the slowly approaching skeleton but Sans ignored not only the warnings the feral hound gave him but Papyrus’ as well.

 

“He’ll...be ripped apart.” Napstablook commented while watching with morbid curiosity.

But still Sans shook his head and pressed forward, “No. No, I won’t cause Great isn’t gonna hurt me are you?” White ears perked up, the snarl on his mouth lessened to a confused frown. Sans was within his arm’s reach when Fell surged forward, slamming his paw into the dog’s snout and tossing him back to the floor, away from Sans. Great went to stand but Fell slammed his paw down again, hitting the monster’s armored chest hard enough to dent the metal. A mighty roar bellowed from the wolf and Great’s ears fell to the sides of his head, whimpering before he ran with his tail between his legs.

 

Papyrus gave the wolf small praise while Sans glared, upset that they didn’t trust him enough to let him try and calm the monster down. Papyrus shook his head and relit his cigarette but not taking a drag. While Sans ranted, his eyes focused on the dense foliage. It was the same, he figured as much, but everything was darker. The leaves, the bark. Everything had an almost corrupted tint to it.

 

“Are you even listening to me, brother!?” Papyrus gave a chuckle that Sans knew meant ‘not even a little bit’ and sighed “Typical…” The older apologized and turned to the group again.

 

Sockets fell on Napstablook and they narrowed. He stomped right over to the ghost, ready to unleash a flurry of insults about how the ghost tried to get them killed but he stopped himself.Teeth clicked together in a tsk sound, “Know what? Never mind. You’re not even worth it.” Papyrus had his back to the ghost, missing the clearly hurt look on his face as he continued down the path. Sans snapped his head to Napstablook and the gravity of his brother’s words sunk in. 

 

Blue gloved hands reached toward the ghost in an attempt to comfort him but Blookey quickly floated away from him.

 

"Don't patronize me. I...I don't need your pity…” Sans opened his mouth to say something but gave up before he even started. He knew Papyrus’ words cut the ghost deep, apparently deeper than Sans had really thought they would. Both wolves came to his side and slowly each monster fell into line behind Papyrus.

 

**~~~~**

 

Napstablook didn’t stay with them for much longer after the attack. After crossing a thin bridge with a dilapidated gate the ghost told them he would not venture further and faded out of existence. Papyrus shrugged the ghost’s departure off as a much needed absence, Sans on the other hand felt the pang of guilt and hurt course through him again. Ever since the incident in the cave, Papyrus had been...well he had been different.

 

Sans understood the trauma of whatever happened, he wasn’t that naive but this seemed excessive for his brother. He was quiet and short, the sense of humor he was normally flaunting around was all but gone and worst yet, he was aggressive. In a way he felt like he should be happy that his brother wasn’t aggressive towards him but his attitude toward everyone else kicked that notion right out the window.

 

Aggression just wasn’t Papyrus’ go to emotion, even when people deserved it he remained calm, if not firm. Sans knew that whatever that black residue was caused the changes in his brother, he just didn’t know how to change things back to the way they used to be. It was like the tar was sentient and whenever Papyrus started to feel even a little bit frustrated, it just took over and drove the skeleton’s emotions into high gear. 

 

And Sans was highly aware that the wolves had caught onto what was going on as well. Fell was always a bit closed off to the older skeleton since he had attacked the larger wolf when they first met and things only seemed to be worse now. Fell was always watching, even now as they walked. His deep crimson eyes stared daggers into the back of the orange hoodie while maintaining a safe distance for reactions sake.

 

This wasn’t how Sans wanted this mission to go. It was supposed to be the final step he took to showing Papyrus and Alphys that he could stand tall with them to protect his queen and home, not so he could get saved again and again because fear locked him in place, or so his brother could do a complete 180 flip on the personality spectrum!

 

“Hey, Papy? Shouldn’t you have at least apologized to Blookey?” Sans couldn’t help but ask, it was bothering him and he shouldn’t have been surprised when his brother didn’t even bother turning around to face him. The smoke from his cigarette lifted thickly into the air, forming a dense cloud as they walked. He asked Sans to explain why he felt he should apologize, “Well what you said seemed to really hurt his feelings brother, and normally you’re a lot more...sensitive to people.”

 

His brother sighed and scratched at his skull a bit, “Sorry, bro, but I can’t just be happy that someone’s trying to sabotage us.” Sans felt his body push forward to try and catch up with Papyrus’ much longer strides but his face ran smack into the back of Red. The wolf stood rigid as he stared ahead, small tremors in his body that only Sans could see due to his close proximity to him. Out of curiosity and concern, Sans peeked his head passed Red’s and noticed Papyrus and Fell had stopped as well.

 

He moved passed both wolves to stand near Papyrus “Brother, what’s...wrong..” as his sockets followed that of his brother’s it all made sense. Why everyone stopped and looked varying levels of disquieted “How...that doesn’t…it CAN’T be!” But it was, there was no denying it. The proof was right there in front of his cyan blue eyes whether he wanted to believe it or not.

 

Tattered and worn, but the words as clear as they were back home; “Welcome to Snowdin”. From where they stood by the welcome sign, the group could see what had become of their home. The friendly atmosphere was obliterated as debris and dust littered what felt like every corner. What flora life was able to survive in the harsh environment overtook every home that still stood, while others it seemed to be the only reason they could still be considered standing. Sans could see where their home stood, or once stood rather. From his vantage point the quant home was now mostly collapsed pallets of wood and snow. 

 

Seeing this Snowdin just made everything sink in for Papyrus. This was their home, the same but different. The monsters here, despite being feral, were the same as the ones he and Sans had grown to know and love but just like with their home, they were different. They wouldn’t remember either of the skeleton brothers or the wolves they took in as pets, not for who they were anyway.

  
Papyrus bit down on the filter of his cigarette and kept his uneasy growl to himself. If this was as hard to accept as it was for him, he knew Sans was struggling with it just as much if not more. In a last ditch effort to make peace with the knowledge while also comforting his little bro, Papyrus reach down and wrapped his bare hand around Sans’ gloved one and slowly lead the group to the fallen Snowdin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and we'll see you at the next installment :D


	14. Ye Who Enters Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TLDR; Real life sucks, lots of hospitals and shit like that. Things have slowed on all fronts. I'm sorry but nothing I can do about it. Nothing is forgotten just...slower than a snail's pace. 
> 
> Thank you for your patience and enjoy.

Patrolling the streets was a useless, and ultimately soul-breaking, gesture. From the top of the hill near the sign it was clear that this was at the very least some form of their hometown. Its dilapidated state aside, this was a Snowdin town. There was an inn, a small dead tree with crushed boxes beneath that were half buried in the snow, even the “Librarby” with its misspelled sign was the same. Hell, the only thing that truly stuck out immediately to the brothers was the well beloved, by Papyrus, Muffet’s was replaced with a sign that said “Grillby’s” instead.

 

The thought of the overly friendly flame elemental running an establishment like Muffet’s brought a smile to Sans’ face. He could see it, the elemental loved to cook and bring tea to him while he was patrolling after all, even though there was usually a small fee attached.

 

“The town looks deserted. I really don’t think anyone’s really LIVED here for a while.” Papyrus muttered, the toe of his sneakers kicking the tattered lid of one of the present boxes, but while the skeleton brothers investigated their home away from home a bit more, Fell and Red drifted away from the town center. The wolves kept their heads low as padded feet carried them to the town edge, stopping where Sans and Papyrus’ home stood. The building looked much like the rest of the town, tattered and worn. The door barely sat on its hinges and glass laid shattered over the porch and the visible carpet of the living room, if you could call it that. Most of the fabric was so badly stained it was hard to tell where it ended and began, but as Fell and Red approached, both their ears flat against their skulls, Sans could tell they were bothered by the condition of the town.

 

The reaction had mixed effects on the skeleton. Part of him felt humbled by the wolves considering the brother’s home as their own but, much like it usually did, the sight of his friends hurting made the victory feel very small and pointless.

 

Red stepped in first, rising to his hind legs and slowly entering the home. Fell growled worriedly at the idea, there could have been monsters lurking around any corner, waiting to ambush them but his smaller companion didn’t share those worries. Red whimpered as he walked through the rooms, stopping at a small dresser that had collapsed on itself and lowering his body to look at the objects that fell with it. As Red carefully waded through the shards of splinter bearing wood, the corner of something revealed itself.

 

Worn, tattered, and yellowed with age, the piece of paper bored holes from shreds of wood and glass that damaged the quality of its surface. Red gave it a small sniff, flipping it over to see what was on the other end only to yelp in surprise. Black tar spewed from the faces of the figures that were printed on the photo end of the paper. Fell was by his side in a second, arms around him in a protective hold while he snarled at the bubbling, black mess. 

 

The familiar sound of screeching pulled the skeleton brothers to enter the home in a small panic. They had just barely seen the wolves go inside and now the sound of the black magical residue was screeching out shortly after Red yelped in fear, what else were they supposed to think?!

 

“Red! Fell! Are you two okay!?” Sans cried out as he burst through the door, Papyrus hot on his tail. The wolves gave the brothers a short nod, Red obviously more bothered than Fell. Sans watched with concealed fear as the screeching residue melted away, consuming the photo as it did. Once sure it was gone, Sans walked up to the wolves and gently pat Red on his head in a soothing manner. He asked if the photo meant something to them but Red shrugged, he couldn’t see who was on it. Fell snarled and pulled Red further away from the stain the gunk left and Sans’ comforting hand. The sudden pull forced Sans to stumble over his feet enough for Papyrus to feel it necessary to catch him.

 

The taller glared at the large wolf and snapped a warning at him, but Fell rolled his eyes and swiped his tail at them, gruffing as he did so. Papyrus opened his mouth to say something but Sans pulled at his hoodie sleeve and shook his head. Papyrus clearly didn’t like the idea of biting his tongue but the thought of upsetting Sans anymore than this already had didn’t appeal to him either, so the older monster sighed and moved on to a more crucial topic…

 

Lodging.

 

“We can’t sleep here.” he stated plainly, fishing around for a cigarette and trapping it in his teeth “We should check the inn and see if it’s suitable. Maybe that Grillby’s place will have food.” Sans nodded eagerly, motioning for the wolves to follow him back to the town center. Papyrus kept it to himself, but it he was happy that the wolves followed him as quickly as they had because the moment they were gone he let out a frustrated growl. Sans couldn’t know how hard this was for him, he refused to let him see. Whatever happened to him when they first found that infuriating ghost hadn’t gone away, and that was scaring Papyrus more and more with each passing second.

 

What if he turned on Sans? Or Red? Sure Fell would be there to stop him but what if the large wolf couldn’t? Another growl echoed from his throat. Those weren’t pleasing thoughts. Nor were the images that came with them welcomed. He couldn’t do anything to stop it but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it either.

 

A sound from the stairs caught his attention, similar to footsteps but not quite. Papyrus turned and slowly stalked closer to the stairs. They looked like they would collapse the moment his sneakers touched them if the deep cracks in the wood meant anything. 

 

The skeleton shrugged, “Guess that’s what shortcuts are for.” magic gathered around his body ready to move him to the top of the stairs…

 

“Papy! Hurry up you lazybones!” the distant call of Sans disrupted his concentration. He could still hear whatever was upstairs moving around but Sans’ persistent callings made him sigh and disperse the magic all together. He would just have to return when Sans was asleep, maybe even bring one of the wolves with him.

 

**~~~~**

 

The Inn was in considerably better condition than the rest of the town, though the lobby was trashed to hell and back, the actual rooms had been saved from, almost all of the damage that was done to the rest of the town. Papyrus and Fell took it upon themselves to double, triple, check everything to ensure that there were no traps lying in wait for them, especially ones consisting of the dangerous black magic residue that had been causing so many problems.

 

“Mweheheh! This is perfect isn’t it Papy?” Sans asked as he jumped onto a bed with Red, who was already sprawled out ready to go to sleep. Perfect wasn’t the word that Papyrus would use, not even close, although there was no denying that it was the most appealing and homey spot they had found since walking into the hell hole.

 

The cigarette that had been waiting patiently in his teeth twitched, “Since it’s perfect that means you’ll stay here right?” Papyrus tried to keep his hopefulness as low key as possible, the last thing he needed was Sans running around with him when there was potentially enemies in every trash can.

 

Naturally, Sans was not having it.

 

“What?! No! That’s not fair Papyrus!” he snapped back, jumping up to his feet from the bed in one swift motion. “I helped with Greater Dog and you know it!” Damn it, he didn’t want to fight with him but Papyrus really didn’t want Sans with him either. Red yipped in protest to Sans staying and Fell turned to the smaller wolf and snapped his jaws, clearly siding with Papyrus. 

 

“See? Even Fell thinks it’s a bad idea.” Papyrus flicked his lighter to light the cigarette but stopped once he remembered that he was in a small space with his brother. Sans sank defeated against the bed, still staring hopefully up at his older brother “I promise I’ll be back before you can blink a socket okay? I know shortcuts.” Sans rolled his sockets and slumped back onto the bed, curled away from his brother.

 

This was so stupid! Why couldn’t he go? If it wasn’t for Sans, Greater Dog would have hurt someone worse than the bruises on Fell’s ribs. But did Papyrus care about that? No, of course he didn’t! He was only concerned about keeping Sans “safe” while he was off doing stars only knew what.

 

Papyrus tried to get Sans to look at him, nudging him gently and calling his name. When Sans wouldn’t even look at him after his first few attempts, Papyrus sighed and moved off the bed.

 

“Well, guess I’m gonna go to Grillby’s for some grub.” He knew Sans wouldn’t reply but the younger knowing where he was going was always something he was keen on knowing in case Papyrus was late. It was a kind gesture, and even in his tantrum Sans could appreciate it. The door to the inn room opened and closed slowly, a faint whisper saying "Be safe." the last thing Papyrus heard before the bitter cold of the lobby grasped at his bones.

 

**~~~~**

 

Fell ended up staying with Sans and Red, per Papyrus' strong armed request. The wolf was not enthused about having to in the Inn but the reminder that Red and Sans would be alone seemed to be the leverage that Papyrus needed to get him to stay.

 

As Papyrus' hand pushed the battered door to the bar labeled Grillby’s, the smell of dust rushed his nose. The scent burned, its presence for stronger in the bar than outside. The tall monster resisted the urge to gag and pushed into the establishment. Mounds and mounds of dust covered almost every surface, some smeared into the cruises of the wood flooring.

 

It was sickening.

 

A sharp cry caught Papyrus’ attention. The sudden sound making the skeleton's bones rattle in fright. Focusing his magic into his hands, Papyrus scanned the establishment again, taking extra care by checking each and every nook and cranny for any unknown enemy lurking for a chance at some free EXP.

 

Another cry jostled Papyrus’ mind and the attack he had been saving almost getting thrown into the nearby wall. Behind one of the large tables in the middle of the room was a dog monster, much like the one they fought right outside the town, curled into a ball holding onto a series of collars. Papyrus counted four in total.

 

“Hey bud, you okay?” It was a dumb question, even more dumb to ask at all since he didn't know if the dog would attack him or not, but the skeleton hoped that the lack of hostility toward the monster would at least save him some headache. However, the dog simply cried out, moving away from the sound and curling up tighter. “Whoa, whoa easy bud, I’m not gonna hurt ya.” The black and white muzzle looked up at him, glazed over eyes signally blindness reflecting the light caused from Papyrus’ magic as he snarled at the approaching skeleton.

 

Hands rose up in defense and his voice dropped to ease the monsters nerves down, but there was no calming him. He snarled again, snapping his jaws in Papyrus’ “general” direction. He didn’t want to hurt him. The dog monster was delirious at best and it felt wrong to attack him, even in self defense. 

 

But he needed to get passed him to look for food. Stars, this was annoying, Papyrus sighed as he dragged his hand over his skull, realizing just now that he left his cigarette pack on the nightstand in the Inn.

 

“Sorry, pooch, but least I can do is give ya a bone to gnaw on.” With a small wave of his hand, Papyrus formed a bone cage around the dog monster, making it safe for him to pass without needing to worry about losing a digit to the snapping jaws of the feral. 

 

The storage room was blissfully stocked. Papyrus damn near dropped on a knee to thank whatever was watching over him because this place was giving him the creepiest chills in his bones. He couldn’t wait to be back to the Inn with Sans and the wolves. Hell, he was even missing Fell’s ornery presence at the moment. 

 

The caged dog monster began to fuss, well louder than he was already was. His whimpers became sharp cries and panicked snarls, his teeth chattering  against Papyrus’ trap in the attempts to escape. He made clicking noise to try to silence the feral but instead he was greeted with more frantic cries and footsteps.

 

Heavy footsteps and they were close.

 

“Oh, shi-!” Instinct took hold as Papyrus jumped away with an attack in his hand, ready to defend himself. Sockets fell on the large silhouette of that formed into the doorway, and a bubble of pure frustration formed in Papyrus’ chest.

 

Standing before him with the ever present scowl, though this one had a touch of amusement hidden in it, was none other than Fell. The very wolf he was just almost missing was now not even three feet from him, and while any other time he was spelunking through the storage room of a feral infested town with one in just the next room chipping away at the magic cage it was trapped in, now was absolutely NOT the time!

 

"You dense numbskull!" insulted Papyrus almost frantically "Why are you here?!” Fell cooked his head to the side with a shocked huff of air, signally his offense at Papyrus not being ecstatic that he was there with him. And he wasn't, not by any means.

 

Because if Fell was here that meant that Sans was alone in the Inn room. Sure, Red was with him, but the poor little wolf just wasn't as intimidating as Fell was. It wasn't anything against the little guy but Fell's size was just a natural deterrent and the scowl just added to it. 

 

The wolf; however, did not seem to give a damn that Papyrus was standing there yelling at him for offering his aid. It wasn't Fell's fault that the tiny, blue clad skeleton had spent the entire time they were in the room complaining about how "unfair" Papyrus was being, only to switch over to worrying about his wellbeing after the lazy monster had been gone for a particularly long period of time. The small monster was practically begging the wolf to save his pitiful brother from the clutches of whatever evils this down could conjure in his way.                                                                       

Not in so many words, or directly, but his persistent whining was clearly a call for help, so here Fell was.

 

Papyrus sighed at the clear “I’m not listening to you” look on Fell’s face and turned back to the storage room’s stock. He let his voice grumble out as he rummaged, “Well since you’re going to be tailing me like a lost puppy, might as well get as much as we can carry.” There was a sigh of relief from the wolf, naturally disguised as his gruffy bark, before he joined Papyrus in the scavenging. The worn, flat curve of his hood not doing much to hide the appreciation on his face that Fell was there, even if he still wished he was with Sans.

 

**~~~~**

 

Sans had never felt more caged than he did in the small Inn room. Okay, maybe not small, it was actually fairly big since it was meant for a family of four, but Sans just felt trapped. Papyrus had been gone for a while now and the longer his brother was absent the more his nerves picked at his tired mind. 

 

This world whatever it was, was dangerous. Sans wasn’t going to sit here and try and deny that frightening truth. Dust flittered in the snowy landscape as far as his sockets could see and if Greater Dog was any key, the ferals were still present here as well, even though they still weren’t sure exactly where.

 

No, Sans wasn’t going to say that this wasn’t the most dangerous situation he had ever been in. It was and then some, but that didn’t stop him from feeling...useless. Papyrus all but denounced his involvement with Greater Dog by confining him to this room. Did his brother really think ferals couldn’t be reasoned with? Of course, not all of them, that would be far too good to be true, but there was still a chance. They could all just be searching for something, like how Fell and Red were searching for each other.

 

The royal guard in training sighed, it didn’t matter right now. He was still locked up in this room, well not locked. Sans could actually leave whenever he wanted, but it fell back into that whole “Papy doesn’t ask much of me, should I really not listen” category like it had before. He grew more worried when he thought of it that way.

 

Sans turned his head, away from where Fell had been stoically standing, “He’s alright right Fell?” The wolf didn’t answer so Sans called out to him again, barely looking over his shoulder “Fell?” Fully turning to face the oddly unresponsive wolf, Sans realized that his spot was vacant. Fell was gone. He felt the sting of anger prick at his soul. The wolf had sided with Papyrus on having Sans stay here and even stayed with Sans and Red to make sure they would be okay and now even he was gone...and there was no telling how long he had been gone either.

 

Papyrus leaving him alone was one thing, but Fell leaving him just sort of...stung.

 

His teeth clicked in a “tsk” sound, “Whatever, they’re just j-”

 

“S-s-somebody, help me, please!” the childish voice cut through Sans’ aggravating thoughts. It cried out again and again, begging someone to help them. Red wasn’t even phased by the child, but Sans couldn’t ignore it. He gave one last look to the sleeping Red in the large chair then turned away, headed for the door. Papyrus always told him to treat people kindly and help if he could, and right now there was a child that needed help and Sans was able to lend a hand.

 

The cold air bit his bones when the door to the Inn first opened but his body adapted quickly to it. Near the town center was a small light gray child with a deep gray ribbon sitting atop his head. His eyes, though tear filled, were completely white with not even a pupil gracing them. He looked sickly if Sans was honest, but he wasn’t going to say that to the poor kid.

 

Sans walked up to him slowly, “Hey there, are you okay?” No, of course he wasn’t. He wouldn’t be crying with a panicked look on his face if he was. The little kid shook his head, tears scattering everywhere.

 

“M-m-my parents. T-they went to s-sleep and won’t wake up.” he said through the tears. Immediately Sans’ soul went out to the child. It was likely that his parents were beginning to fall down given the state of the town. Sans laid a gentle hand on the monster child’s head and shushed him quietly.

 

“Is there something I can do to help?” The kid began to sob and shake his head, his emotions taking hold as he broke down. Then all too quickly the kid’s head snapped up to Sans with hope filling his eyes.

 

“You can get the doctor from the lab in the Hotlands!” Sans gave a short but loud gulp. Not only were the Hotlands unscouted territory in this place, they were far. A lot farther than Sans was really comfortable going. He tried to voice his concerns, the words coming out in barely distinguishable stutters but the kid jumped up with a large smile that seemed to just melt Sans’ doubt away. The skeleton knew he shouldn’t, he really really shouldn’t, but it was just to the Hotlands, and besides if the kid could make it to Snowdin from...well, wherever he came from, surely Sans could make it to the Hotlands to get a doctor.

  
  


With a gentle, turned confident smile, Sans gave a strong pose to the kid, “Don’t worry, I’m a royal guard, in training, at home! This will be a piece of cake!” he mumbled the “in training” so the monster child couldn’t hear it before taking point and leading them toward the unscouted Hotlands, in search of a doctor that he hoped was as kind as his own doctor back him.

  
“I got this, Papyrus...you’ll see.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this and sorry if its lackluster ^^; Still learning and trying to expand my abilities. Please feel free to point out any mistakes or things that might be a bit wonky. I wanna get better and am willing to do my damnedest to achieve that.


End file.
